


The Rise of Zero

by bellachanmustdie



Series: Danger Days [2]
Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Album), My Chemical Romance
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-11-10
Packaged: 2018-04-08 18:28:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 47,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4315710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellachanmustdie/pseuds/bellachanmustdie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Second Part of the Danger Days Series.<br/>Seizing their only chance to escape from Battery City during The Great Raid, the Fabulous Killjoys found themselves in the Zones after becoming laboratory rats inside Inner City for four years. </p><p>After The Great Raid, BL/ind shown their true colors and released an order to dust anyone associated with the Fabulous Killjoys. The Fall of Five Zones is looming in and the Fabulous Killjoys need to move and act fast to find their leader Party Poison first, awake or not, in order to save him from BL/ind's wrath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It is really important to read [Inner City](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4059796) first to understand this story. And similar to Inner City, there's a lot of themes, names and places in this story that are not really from the Danger Days universe (I just made them up). 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction and I don't own My Chemical Romance or any characters from the Danger Days Universe.

“I guess we pissed BL off so bad,” Fun Ghoul chuckled under his off-colored Frankenstein mask but his joy is immediately cut when he stepped on what he believes is something murky and repulsive.

“ _Shit!_ ”

Ghoul immediately groaned in disgust after he felt some sewage water got inside his boots. “Ugh! This underground smells so fucking bad. Please remind me that I need to take a shower for at least five hours after we escape from this stinking hell.”

“You’re disgusting, Ghoul.” Jet Star commented, not even looking at Fun Ghoul. Star is carefully holding a piece of paper which is actually the map of the underground sewage system of Inner City and Battery City. He is the one leading Kobra Kid and Fun Ghoul as they made their way out of Inner City and Battery City using the underground map which they got from Stone Peril as their escape route. Fun Ghoul is absolutely sure that working for the logistics for years helped Jet Star immensely because he appears to be really good at figuring out the correct route. The Fabulous Killjoys are slowly making their way out from Inner City and Battery City, each steps are calculated but their other senses remains vigilant. But Fun Ghoul would occasionally drop complaints how awful their situation is which only made Kobra Kid and Jet Star rolls their eyes. Because ever since Fun Ghoul got his memories back, he’s also back to his usual self – _annoying_. And Kobra Kid can’t help but wonder how his brother, Party Poison fall in love with this guy.

“Yeah, you’re disgusting Fun Ghoul,” Kobra Kid agrees, adjusting his helmet to its comfortable position. “And FYI, you don’t need five hours to get clean, unless you plan to spend most of the time jerking off.”

Jet Star can’t help but to let out a thunder laugh after hearing Kobra's remark. Fun Ghoul groaned again and very much pissed off but he is weirdly blushing nonetheless. And Ghoul is just glad they couldn’t see his reaction since he’s wearing his mask.

“Shut up, motherfuckers. Both of you should watch your backs just in case I push both of you to the canals. And…” Ghoul gave a loud annoying sighed, “And who still uses _FYI_ when making a point huh, Kobra?”

After a couple more minutes walking underground, they suddenly stopped moving after they heard again another wave of loud sirens coming above ground. The siren was then followed by another loud explosion which made the ground shakes. It was too powerful that the underground light system flickered.

“I would love to see Inner City on fire,” Star tells them, his feet still glued on the ground. They are waiting for the siren to stop before they made their move again.

“Same here,” Ghoul agrees, scratching the back of his neck. “Hey, isn’t this the right time to remove our mask? I mean, we’ve been here underground for two hours. I don’t think we will see any Dracs here. I bet they’re all at Inner City now. And both of you are aware that it’s so hard to see, right? The lights here are shitty.”

“No, we can’t,” Kobra Kid immediately answered back and Fun Ghoul groaned again. It is not that Ghoul doesn’t know the exact reason why they have to wear their masks, but Kobra and Star are pushing their vigilance to the extreme level which Ghoul thinks is very unnecessary. And he is pretty sure that Better Living Industries cameras have caught their image already.

After another 2 hours of arduous walking underground and grumbling (mostly Fun Ghoul) they reached the area that is marked in their map. It’s located in the most secluded area underground and Fun Ghoul is very sure that the structure is not made by BL/ind but rather by their fellow rebels. Even though Fun Ghoul is struggling with how dim the whole area is and how he is sweating and itching under his mask, he could still see that there’s a rusty metal door which is discreetly hidden at the corner.

Fun Ghoul watches Kobra Kid as he opened the door using the key he retrieved from his pants front pocket. Ghoul wonders how Kobra and Star can stay cool and collected under those gigantic helmets. Suddenly, Fun Ghoul feels grateful that he only wears a mask which is relatively lightweight compared to what they use.

And if Party Poison is here, Fun Ghoul is so sure they will be making fun of Kobra Kid and Jet Star’s helmets. Party only wears this tiny yellow clown mask and he definitely has the advantage under this situation if only he was here. ' _But what if Party opt to wear his gargantuan Mouse Kat helmet instead?'_ Fun Ghoul can't help but to smile.

Once the metal door swung opened, Fun Ghoul saw that there is a cobblestone stairway going straight above. He suddenly feels delighted because _finally_ , they are finally ascending above ground – away from the horrible stench of the underground sewage system.

It’s another 50 steps before they reach yet another metal door. This time, it was Jet Star who opened the door using his key. Fun Ghoul can’t help but wonder why he is not a keeper of any key.

The stairway is connected to an abandon and dirty printing house outside Zone 1. And Fun Ghoul couldn’t believe it – he’s finally back in the Zones after four years being a lab rat inside Inner City.

Fun Ghoul is excited and ecstatic, but he knows a lot has changed outside Battery City. Four years is a very long time but Fun Ghoul remembers the Zones like he was just there yesterday.

He knows he should be happy. But whenever he will remember the last conversation he had with Party Poison here in the Zones, sadness, misery and regret only takes over.

He misses Party Poison so much. It hurts him so bad and he will feel his heart ache whenever he will remember the last image of Party Poison that registered in his memory – his lifeless body slumped against the wall, his bright hair covering his face.

Fun Ghoul was pulled back to reality when he heard Jet Star crumpling the map and then he threw it on the floor. “So it took our allies seven months to create that passageway and only a few people have a copy of this map,” Jet Star tells them. They watch Star as he pull out a lighter from his pocket, bending his knees and then lighting the crumpled map. “Show Pony told me that once we are successful in sneaking out of the City, we need to destroy the map immediately.”

It only took less than ten seconds for the map to be completely reduced into black ashes.

“So what’s next, Princess Fro Fro?” Ghoul asks flatly, slowly lifting his Frankenstein masks, breathing out loud and just appreciating the air above ground for the very first time since they are stuck underground for almost four hours. It also doesn’t include the time they spent under the room below Social Order waiting for The Great Raid to commence.

The Fabulous Killjoys know that The Great Raid provides them the perfect opportunity and time to escape from Inner City and Battery City. They also know that huge numbers from the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units will be sent over to Inner City to deal with the rebels and the Fabulous Killjoys need to seize this chance to escape without getting caught.

Blowing up the building situated in the middle of Inner City is symbolic and it was Dr. Death Defying’s idea in the first place. Better Living Industries will never expect this kind of attack and never in their wildest thought that this is even possible. It also doesn’t help them to learn that rebels are organized. Stone Peril told them that aside from blowing up Database, groups of rebels decided to use the chaos in Inner City to raid and bomb the other buildings.

“Well, I believe we need to get the latest update from either Dr. Death’s transmission, Show Pony or from Stone Peril. We need to know what happened in Inner City.” Jet Star retorts.

“It seems too quiet, what do you think?” Kobra Kid said. He slowly lifted his helmet off from his head. Jet Star followed suit and Fun Ghoul wants to laugh so hard because Star’s hair is sticking up all over the place. He bits his tongue and removed his gaze off from Star.

“It’s always dead quiet in the Zones now, Kobra,” Star replies, flatting out his hair. “Ever since Zones starts to fall down one by one in the hands of Better Living months ago…”

“So are we just going to wait here until someone tells us what happened at Inner City, then?” Ghoul cuts in.

Jet Star gave Fun Ghoul a quick glance, “No. We will move to this empty diner – “

“Station Shack?” Ghoul interrupts. He misses the Station Shack.

“No, Ghoul. We cannot go back to Station Shack anymore,” Jet Star answered back.

Upon hearing Star’s response, Ghoul dropped his shoulders and Star and Kobra could see the sadness in his eyes.

“Why?” Ghoul asks.

“Zone 6 fell to the hands on BL and Station Shack was burned down.” Star replies back intelligently. He walk towards Ghoul and patted his shoulder. “Don’t be sad, Ghoul. It’s been four years and a lot has changed since we left and became lab rats. So there’s an empty diner about 2 kilometers away from here. I think we should better get going now and take this opportunity that it’s still dark outside.”

They wore their masks again and left the abandon printing house right away. The view outside hasn’t changed at all and Fun Ghoul is slowly making adjustment to the life outside Inner City. He misses the Zones so much, although he knows that the terrains are dangerous and Dracs might suddenly appear. He remembers his musings when he was still at Inner City – how he wanted to go out and see the Zones because he feels it might help him remember his past. But whenever Ghoul remembers his life before as a lab rat inside Inner City, he couldn’t help but to get really angry towards Better Living Industries. They messed up his life for four years and all those time he is blaming himself, especially his fucked up brain for not remembering important details about his life, most especially his memories of Party Poison.

It’s another 20 minutes walk going to this unnamed Diner and Ghoul let out a sigh of relief because the whole trip outside Zone 1 is relatively safe.

The Diner (Fun Ghoul decided to call it 'The Diner' now) is smaller compared to the Station Shack. There’s only a few tables and chairs, some even have broken legs and Ghoul made a mental note to check the chair first if he wants to save himself from humiliation from accidentally falling off. The whole area is dusty and dirty too. But for Ghoul, this is way better than living inside Inner City with their stark clean and painfully white floors and walls.

He belongs here. The Fabulous Killjoys belong in the Zones.

Fun Ghoul watches Jet Star as he retrieved a small wooden box behind the counter of the Diner. He opened it and saw that there is a small radio with tiny buttons and dials in various colors. Aside from the radio, there’s a single earphone with a built-in microphone inside the box. Jet Star plugged the earphone in the radio and pressed this big red button which Fun Ghoul assumes is the ON button. Jet Star starts to move the dial and presses the tiny buttons in a random fashion.

After a short while, they heard a static sound coming from the radio.

 _“Hello? Hello?_ ” the radio cracks back and Fun Ghoul recognizes that voice.


	2. Chapter 2

“Grace?!!” The Killjoys yelped loudly in unison.

“ _YES!_ ” the voice answered back and joy evident in her voice. “ _Oh Guys! I miss you so much!_ ”

Exchanging glances with each other, the Fabulous Killjoys suddenly feel like the whole area is transformed into something magical after they heard Grace’s voice, although they are very much aware that they are still standing inside a place where destruction and resistance is only manifested. It also brought them sudden comfort because it took them four years to hear her again, and her voice is more than enough for them to forget how unpleasant and nasty the trip they just took earlier. There’s also no need for them to even ask each other, because inside their minds they all wonder how much Grace has grown.

“We all misses you so much, Grace!” Jet Star replies back, “I bet you grown so tall now, aren’t you?”

A child-like chuckle vibrated from the radio, “ _Is that you, Jet Star? Of course, I am!”_ Grace pauses for a while, then she continues, “ _Wow, it’s been four years and it has been a very long time! I couldn’t believe it when Stone Peril told us that he saw you all at Inner City. Since the day I learned about that, I couldn’t wait to see you...”_

“Oh you’re so sweet, Grace,” Star exclaims, smiling brightly. “We will see you soon, Grace, don’t worry. By the way, where’s Show Pony?”

“ _Give him a sec_. _Dr. Death summoned him a while ago._ ” Grace notifies them. “ _I’m actually standing by here since last night, waiting for your call. It’s quite a long night here at HQ._ ”

Kobra asks, “So you have any ideas what happened at Inner City?”

“ _Uh… I guess it will be much better to ask Pony about that... Oh wait! Pony’s here._ ”

“ _Hey Fabulous Killjoys!_ ”

“Hi Show Pony!” the Killjoys replied in a similar manner they greeted Grace a while back. 

 _“I see you made it safe and sound outside Battery City and that’s great news!”_ Show Pony said excitedly. “ _So how’s your first taste of the Zones four years after being locked inside Inner City.”_

“That’s incorrect Pony,” Jet Star said brightly, taking a quick glance to Fun Ghoul then to Kobra Kid. “I used to work in the logistics before and I was always out in the Zones. It was Ghoul and Kobra here who got stuck inside Inner City for four years.”

Frowning slightly, Fun Ghoul realized something that he doesn’t know about Jet Star. Then he said, “That’s weird, Star. How come you were able to work inside and _outside_ of Battery City?”

Jet Star looked over at Fun Ghoul and said, “You know, I’ve been asking that same question to myself too ever since I got my memories back. But I have an idea though. So you know that they created Inner City to simulate a community with shared values while living under perfection. I guess BL tried their best to make Inner City as perfect and as _normal_ as they wanted it to be and that includes having lab rats working outside of Battery City, too.”

“ _And I think a simulated community must also includes affairs outside of its walls and to make it look normal from outside’s perspective. And that will make people think that Inner City is just a regular community and not an experimental station_ ,” said Show Pony, adding his own thoughts to Fun Ghoul’s question. “ _Not a lot knows what’s hidden in Inner City, you know... They just thought it is just a part of Battery City_.” 

Ghoul shrugged. He thinks it’s unfair that he got stuck working with endless piles of papers with profiles of dead people while Jet Star worked in and out of Battery City.

“ _You also forgot to mention that it was odd that BL/ind had Fun Ghoul and Kobra Kid worked in one floor. But we guess that putting you together is actually showing insult to the name of the Fabulous Killjoys. Think about it, you’re all resisting the control of BL/ind, that’s why you became Killjoys. Then after you all became Alphas, you just followed them without even questioning the reasons why. And with Star always delivering papers to your floor, I guess they wanted to tell people that the rebels they idolize before were reduced into nothing but laboratory rats, working hard in the name of Better Living Industries.”_

“It does make sense Pony,” said Kobra Kid in a low voice, staring back at the radio.

“ _That’s all past now! We’re just glad you all woke up from that hellish nightmare_ ,” said Pony thoughtfully. “ _And I heard from Peril your story, Star. Amongst the three of you, you are the one with the most interesting story of how you woke up. Your timing is very off, you know that? …waking up in Zone 2 with Draculoids standing three feet away from you. And then you panicked, am I right?_ ”

Jet Star rolls his eyes. He doesn’t want to remember that day. “Well, yeah. That’s exactly what happened. Well, try waking up for the first time in that situation, I bet you’ll panic like a motherfucker, too.”

Show Pony gave a very cute laugh, “ _Yeah we know. Then you ran away, went inside an abandoned apartment –”_

“––and some of the Dracs set it on fire. The reports say that I’m dead, but what they didn’t know is I overpowered one of the Dracs who chased me inside. The body they found is from that Drac. I escaped before the whole thing burn, and I found my way in one of the shelters in Zone 2. I contacted you and Peril helped me sneaked back inside Inner City because he told me that Kobra was already awake from quite some time. Not to forget that I have with me the pills that will help Ghoul wake up.”

“ _And we’re so glad that Ghoulie finally woke up too!_ ” Show Pony exclaimed. They also heard a single clap over the radio.

“So what happened at Inner City? What’s the latest with The Great Raid?” Kobra Kid asked.

“ _So_ _uhhh_ …” Show Pony buzzes which quite a little bit longer than it must be. “ _We have received good news and bad news. So which one do the Fabulous Killjoys prefer to hear first?_ ”

“Good news.” It was Jet Star who gave the answer. Fun Ghoul wanted to protest because he wanted the other option.

“ _Database is destroyed._ ”

“Oh!” It was the only response Star could give. They looked at each other and for a moment, each of them felt that it’s a glorious moment is worth celebrating. Then they remember that Pony said he also have a bad news.

_“But the bad news is almost all the rebels who raided and bombed the other buildings at Inner City are dusted.”_

“Holy shit!” Star gasped, eyes widen in shock.

_“It was not they were unaware of the risks, Killjoys. We reminded them multiple times that it’s very dangerous to launch an attack, especially at Inner City because, truth be told here, we are always outnumbered. It was just like four years ago when you all tried to save Grace.”_

Again, Fun Ghoul suddenly realized something. He asked. “So how are they able to sneak inside Inner City? Did they use the same underground route we took earlier?”

Fun Ghoul could’ve swear that he just hear Show Pony snorts. “No, they didn’t! There are other ways to sneak inside. Didn’t Jet Star tell you that?”

“Yes he did,” said Kobra Kid.

Fun Ghoul glared at Jet Star, then to Kobra. Ghoul opened his mouth, “No, Show Pony. He didn’t tell me.”

Fun Ghoul could almost hear that Show Pony rolling his eyes. Ghoul looked away from the other two Killjoys and pouted his lips, annoyed. Fun Ghoul couldn’t believe that he’s missing a lot of information here. He doesn’t like being stubborn towards Kobra Kid and Jet Star but he couldn’t help it. He knows he should put all the blame towards BL for fucking up his brain in the first place.

_“You should tell Ghoulie beforehand, Fro Fro. I couldn’t believe you never told him! Don’t be silly, Ghoulie. Even though Inner City seems to be sheltered and guarded at all times, we managed to build some short underground tunnels from Battery City going to Inner City. And we all know it is very easy to sneak in to Battery City. To be honest, the underground route you took earlier presents more risk because we know BL have set up some inconspicuous cameras there. But this time, we actually needed them to catch your images because it is part of our declaration of war against them. We hope that by now they are aware that you escaped and spread the news about it at the front page of Battery City Times. Knowing that you all survived will bring courage and hope to all our allies. You’re all aware that they idolize the Fabulous Killjoys, right?”_

The Fabulous Killjoys shyly nodded in agreement and not looking at each other.  

_“What Dr. Death plans is just to blow up Database, no more, no less. But of course, we couldn’t hide this plan to our allies. After they learned about The Great Raid, they told us that they wanted to seize the chance to get back to BL. According to the latest reports coming from Inner City, The Great Raid is over at 3:30. It was Korse who led the the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units. And it was not a good scene. Piles of body are being removed from the scene.”_

_“So….”_ Show Pony tells excitedly, the sudden changed of his tone surprises the Killjoys. _“I’ll give to you our HQ coordinates now. We need you Fabulous Killjoys here and we’re all dying to see you all! We fear that Better Living will act very soon so they can get back to us. We’re very sure that they will start pounding the remaining Zones and dust us all.”_

Both Fun Ghoul and Kobra Kid shook their heads.

“We can’t go there yet Pony,” Fun Ghoul answered back.

“ _But why?_ ” asked Show Pony, his voice quite louder than before. Fun Ghoul guessed that he didn’t anticipate their response.

“It’s because we need to find my brother first,” Kobra Kid said very firmly.

“ _Party Poison?”_

“Yes,” said Fun Ghoul, rolling his eyes. “Do you have any information where Party might be?”

 _“I’m afraid but we don’t, Ghoul,”_ Show Pony tells them sadly.

“But… but it doesn’t make any _sense_!” Fun Ghoul shot back, trying his best not to get angry. “How come you know we are at Inner City and you don’t have a single fucking clue where Party Poison is?”

Both Jet Star and Kobra Kid gave Fun Ghoul a sympathetic look. Fun Ghoul could only guess that they also wonder why BL put the three of them together inside this building in Inner City but without Party Poison.

If Fun Ghoul will be honest with himself, he doesn’t want to leave Inner City yet. He couldn’t help but think that they left Party Poison inside Inner City and that it is wrong to leave Battery City without him. If only they could spend some time looking around Inner City, maybe they could gather information where he might be. But Fun Ghoul also knows that they cannot do that in Inner City. The way Inner City is built as a simulation environment of perfection; they know they cannot just stroll there haphazardly without the BL getting notice.

 _“Finding the Fabulous Killjoys in Inner City is just a crazy accident,”_ Show Pony confesses. _“We all thought you are all dead. We saw it with our own eyes! After Dr. Death learned the whole deal with this massive walls and the community behind it, he wanted someone to sneak inside and gather information about that place.”_

“And that’s Stone Peril?” Ghoul asks.

_“Correct. After we successful hacked the Alpha records and added Stone Peril’s name on it, he managed to sneak inside Inner City and posed as an Alpha working at Database. And then, he found you all which definitely surprised us all. We had to double check Better Living records and indeed, your names are listed in their Alpha records using your real names.”_

Show Pony continues. _“We wanted to pull you all out from Inner City immediately, but we know we cannot just do that. You’re all been brainwashed and it is not a very good idea to pluck you all out from Inner City when your brains are still fucked up. So we are only left with two choices – wait for the three of you to wake up or to wait for the drugs that will help people wake up to develop. We are very hopeful that we can develop the drugs in no time, but we were wrong. Some unexpected things occurred, and it delayed the development of the said drug… took us years to finally develop it.”_

_“A few days after the drug fully developed and was tested safe, Jet Star contacted us to our surprised; talk about great timing! He told us that he escaped from the Dracs and he wanted to go back to Inner City to save Kobra and Ghoul. Then I told him that Ghoul is the only one who needs waking up and it’s a great timing because we can give Ghoul the pills to wake him up. Dr. Death also decided that it’s about time to carry out The Great Raid.”_

“ _We also tried our best to find Party Poison. He’s not listed in the Alpha records but his name appears in the Database as the dusted leader of the Fabulous Killjoys. And there are no signs that he is at Inner City. I'm really sorry...”_ Show Pony said softly.

“What about in Battery City?” Kobra Kid asks.

“ _We also tried to collect information about your brother in Battery City, Kobra,_ ” Show Pony tells him _. “We asked our allies if they see Party Poison around or if they have any idea if he was imprisoned or got himself brainwashed and became part of them. But it all ends with the same report that he is not seen anywhere in Battery City. I’m afraid Party Poison might be really dead.”_

Fun Ghoul suddenly became furious and all he wanted to do right now is run in the Zones and start looking for Party Poison. He is not dead. Before he could even reply to what Show Pony told them, Kobra Kid slammed the counter.

“NO! SHUT UP!” Kobra Kid bellowed, his eyes flaming with fury. “GERARD’S NOT DEAD! He… he… _my b-brother_ … he cannot be dead...”

Fun Ghoul watches Kobra Kid – no, _Mikey_ as he try to hide his emotion right now using all the strength he left. Party Poison is not just the famous leader of the Fabulous Killjoys, he is also Gerard Way, Mikey’s big brother. Fun Ghoul knows that Mikey also saw how Gerard died. And as much as they wanted to erase that scene from their memories, it still haunts them all the time. All they can only do right now is to believe that he survived too. And they will find him, no matter what.

“ _I’m very sorry_ ,” Show Pony tells sympathetically. _“But_ _we just need to accept it and move forward.”_

“No,” said Fun Ghoul firmly, shaking his head.

_“So what are you going to do now?”_

“We’re going to find Party Poison,” Jet Star answered back. He looked at Kobra Kid, his lips tightly shut, eyes pleading to give him the answers about his brother.

“ _But… but we need you here –_ ”

“Please, Show Pony…” Star appealed firmly and won’t take no for an answer. “We need to find Party first. We need to know if he is still alive.”

 _“Okay.”_ Show Pony gave up. _“I’ll tell Dr. Death about that. But I’m not sure if he will find it a good idea since we just lost quite a lot of rebels.”_

‘ _I don’t care,_ ’ Fun Ghoul thinks to himself. He knows he’s being stubborn and seems uncaring, but four years is just too much and all he wanted to do is to find Party Poison. He misses this little dork. He misses everything about him – his smile showing all his adorable tiny teeth, the way we talks, his stupid bright red hair, the way he giggles…The only reason that keeps him alive is this hope that he will find Gerard.

“So how are we going to move from one Zone to another? Do you know where our Trans-Am is?” Star asks, steering the discussion to a different direction which made Fun Ghoul ease. He reached for Kobra’s shoulder with his hand and patted it twice. Kobra gave Ghoul a small smile as a sign of his appreciation to his gesture.

“ _No Star,”_ Show Pony answered. _“We don’t have any idea where your vehicle is right now. But we can provide you a vehicle. But you need to go to Zone 3 to retrieve it.”_

“So we’re going there by foot?” said Jet Star, stunned. He looked back at Kobra Kid and Fun Ghoul and they also bear the same look as his.

“ _Precisely_ ,” said Show Pony as a matter-of-factly. “ _You’ll be back to Zonerunning after 4 years_.”

“I guess _Zonewalking_ is the best term here,” Fun Ghoul tells, not even laughing at his own joke. Actually, no one laugh at all.

_“So, we will contact you exactly one week from now, 14:00 hours. We will try prepare your vehicle within two weeks.”_

“ _What?!!”_ Jet Star exclaimed hotly.  “Can’t it be sooner? Why does it need to take two weeks?”

“ _I’m very sorry, Fabulous Killjoys_ ,” said Show Pony. Fun Ghoul can’t determine if Pony is apologetic or not. _“But we need to assess the result of The Great Raid first. It is our priority right now. And determine the magnitude of our losses in our part.... But okay... I'll try my best to prepare the vehicle within a week...”_

“Oh, all right, Pony,” said Jet Star silently. "Thank you so much..."

 _“So you need to stay at Zone 1 first. Always wear your masks when you’re out and keep yourself safe. Don’t let the Dracs dust you.”_ Show Pony reminded them, and the Fabulous Killjoys exchanged looks. They waited for this time to finally be out in the Zone and start their search to find Party Poison.

_“You can use your stay at Zone 1 to make plans. Oh and I remember! You might want to drop by at this community there in Zone 1 and get information about Party Poison. It's 13 miles southwest where you're at right now and the password's nightcrawler. It is one of the few communities in Zone 1 with a strong defence system. As far as I know, BL wouldn’t dare to go there yet. You might want to start your search there. But remember, you must be in this place 7 days from now.”_

“Why can’t we just bring this radio while we are Zonerunning?” Fun Ghoul asks Show Pony and he swears he saw Jet Star gave him a look like he just asked a stupid question.

_“You can’t, Ghoulie. You’re not the only rebels who are using this radio to communicate to us. There are still other gangs that are keeping contact especially with Dr. Death. So keep return the radio back where you get it, OK?”_

“Okay.”

_“Okay. Talk to you soon, Fabulous Killjoys.”_

And the radio goes dead.  


	3. Chapter 3

If there’s one word Fun Ghoul can use to describe their trip from The Diner to the community that Show Pony told them about, that word would be  _strange._  Fun Ghoul feels that there’s something wrong about the whole journey, but he cannot put a finger on it. He racked his now-functioning brain – he thought maybe he is expecting that hordes of Draculoids are roaming the Zones since he is very sure that BL already knows they have escaped from Inner City. But he knows he should stop being pessimistic. In fact, he should be really glad because the whole time they are walking outside the Zones, they didn’t see any signs of their enemies.

Fun Ghoul doesn’t wish to be ambushed; in fact he doesn’t want to see any Draculoids today because they know that they are in a very bad situation. The long journey they took last night is now taking its toll on them – they are very tired and hungry. But before they left the Diner, they checked the cupboards and some boxes for food, but it all appears they have been emptied before. They found bottles of water in one corner, but it is not sufficient. Jet Star suggested that they should not delay their journey and all they can hope for now is that the community can provide them some resources.

But Fun Ghoul can’t stop thinking that it is very strange that they didn’t see any Draculoids around.

-

 _“Password?”_ said the rusty metal door.

Fun Ghoul jumps back upon hearing the voice, which is very deep and low. Blinking twice, he shot a surprised look at Kobra Kid, and then shifted it to Jet Star. Jet Star snorted annoyingly while Kobra Kid rolls just his eyes. Fun Ghoul knows he shouldn’t freak out because he knows that it is not the metal door who spoke, but from someone behind the door.

 _“Nightcrawler,”_ Kobra Kid answered back.

After Kobra gave the password, they heard a loud click and the metal door swung open. Behind the door is a small tanned man wearing a gray vest and large sunglasses. As someone who likes body art, Fun Ghoul quickly noticed the guy’s left arm is full of tattoos while the right arm is void of any marks. He can’t help but to gaze on his arm which mostly are religious symbols and faces.

“My name’s Boyd,” the small man introduces. Once inside, Boyd shut the metal door closed and started walking away, making a hand gesture to the Fabulous Killjoys to follow him. Another guy starts marching towards the metal, replacing Boyd’s post as the guard.

The community is quite big, bordered by only brick walls which Fun Ghoul quickly assumes can be easily destroyed by handheld bombs. Also, he guesses that the walls are built by rebels themselves, but he is giving them credit for being so resourceful. There are houses and some shops around but they don’t look structurally sound. And from where Fun Ghoul is standing, he can see that there’s a big pyramidal shelter tent in the middle. As they walk inside the community, they started to notice that small shelter tents littered the sandy grounds inside this community.

And Fun Ghoul didn’t miss the vibe of the rebels inside the community and he found it interesting.

 _‘Every one of them is ready to fight_ …’ Fun Ghoul said to himself and he could feel their willpower and determination in his skin. Almost every single one of them is holding their ray guns like they are about to shoot someone.

Despite how quite miserable the community was, the Fabulous Killjoys can’t help but to smile when their attention was immediately caught by the small kids running around. The kids are playing, their faces painted with smile and their innocence is lovely. Suddenly, the Fabulous Killjoys can’t help but to feel distressed because they know it’s only a matter of time when Better Living decided to attack this community, which will definitely wipe away their innocence.

“We’re quite elated that the Fabulous Killjoys decided to drop at our community,” Boyd started. They passed a group of rebels sitting beside the tent. Boyd gave them a salute and the rebels replied with a smirk.

“How do you know we’re the Fabulous Killjoys?” inquires Fun Ghoul.

“Everyone knows the Fabulous Killjoys,” Boyd replies as a matter-of-factly. “We’ve heard before that your group survived but were trapped inside Inner City.”

“I see,” said Fun Ghoul quietly. They lapsed into a comfortable silence as they continue to walk for a few minutes until they reach the biggest shelter tent inside the community. There are benches and tables around and only a handful of people are around. There are a lot of wooden crates and sacks in one corner which the Fabulous Killjoys assumes are food resources.

Aside from the crates and sacks, Fun Ghoul finds it strange that there are boxes beside it with huge Better Living Industries labels. He made a mental note to ask Boyd later about those boxes.

Boyd sat on one bench and the Fabulous Killjoys followed suit. Without anyone of them asking, a lady approached them with a tray containing 4 aluminium mugs. Fun Ghoul grabbed one and to his disappointment, it’s only water. He knows he shouldn’t be demanding, that’s why he resisted the urge to ask for any alternative. He’s very much aware that resources are very limited in the Zones, but he’s really starving and a mug of hot coffee would be nice although he knows it won’t relieve his hunger.

“So what brings you here?” asked Boyd. He then narrowed his eyes much to Fabulous Killjoys’ surprised then Boyd sways his hand, his finger pointing at each of them, “Wait, I thought there are four Killjoys? Where’s the other one?”

The Fabulous Killjoys exchanged worried glances. It was Kobra Kid who answered Boyd. “Actually, that’s the reason why we’re here. We’re looking for Party Poison,” he said sadly.

“So you’re looking for the other Killjoy? You mean, you never see him around? He’s not at Inner City or Battery City?” Boyd asks, staring at them like he couldn’t believe that Party Poison is not with them.

Fun Ghoul cleared his throat, and Boyd’s eyes quickly shifted to him, “We never had the chance to look for him at Inner City since we just hid underground all the time. And you couldn’t just walk around Inner City, no one in his right mind would start banging houses and buildings at Inner City, looking for a missing person. We never even had the chance to go to Battery City. But Show Pony told us that they tried to find him inside Battery City but he just said that they don’t find any information about Party.”

“I see. But what makes you think he’s in the Zones?”asked Boyd sharply.

Without looking at each other, Fun Ghoul, Kobra Kid and Jet Star suddenly feels like they hit a wall upon hearing Boyd's view. Fun Ghoul would like to slam his own head on the table right at that moment because they never consider about it before. Fun Ghoul lost his words.

“Actually… Uh…” Kobra stuttered. He’s on the same page with Fun Ghoul.

“We don’t know actually know why,” said Jet Star, looking uncomfortable. When everyone lost their train of thought, or lost for words, it’s Jet Star who always saves the day because he’s the guy who always knows what to say. Jet Star continues, “Honestly, we feel that we might find some information about Party Poison here in the Zones.”

“You just _feel_ it? Like  _feel_ it?” Boyd repeated, bewildered.

“Yeah,” said Star quickly, nodding his head. “We never had the chance to look at Battery City since our main priority before is to escape in Inner City during The Great Raid. But now that we’re out, we will start looking for information first and familiarize ourselves around since we’re gone for four years. And if ever we found any leads that Party might be in Battery City, we will definitely sneak inside again. But for now, we don’t want to take a risk without any legitimate information of Party’s whereabouts.  

“Well, that’s a good plan, Killjoy,” Boyd said, stroking his chin and he appears to be thinking about something.  

“So do you have any information, Boyd?” Jet Star added.  

Boyd sighed, “All I know is this the very first time that we’ve been visited by the Fabulous Killjoys.”

“You don’t see anyone with this flaming bright red hair around? Party’s mask is a Mousekat. He sometimes switches it with a pair of black goggles, sometimes a yellow clown mask,” Fun Ghoul asked, hopeful that his description might be helpful.  

“Red hair?” said Boyd, stroking his chin again. “I haven’t seen anyone with that hair around. Sorry...”

Fun Ghoul dropped his shoulders, disappointment. Jet Star looked at Kobra, his face downcast.

“That’s alright, Boyd,” said Star quietly.

“So…” said Boyd, looking intently back at Star, “Do you have contact with Show Pony?”

“Yes,” Star responded, “We called him earlier. We used the main radio from this old diner.”

Boyd nodded and it appears he recognized the place. “Well, I have some information that we need to relay to him. Although he might already know about it, but I guess it is still worth mentioning it to him.”

“What is it?” inquires Kobra Kid calmly.

“I’m not sure if I can classify the word as a secret code,” Boyd started, his eyes narrowing and clicking his tongue.

“A secret code?” Kobra repeated.

“Uh huh,” said Boyd, nodding his head. “We heard this word a lot of times already and I heard it first hand when a Drac tried to enter this community. You see, this Drac said before I shot him with my ray gun that  _Zero is coming_.”

“Zero is coming?” Jet Star repeated, his brows furrowed.

“Yes. Some allies heard it from other Dracs and in those times they just said Zero. We don’t know if this Zero is supposed to be secret code or a name for a possible attack by Better Living, like what we call last night’s attack as The Great Raid. We can’t help but to feel worried and since information is very limited about it.”

“It could be a name of a person though,” Fun Ghoul suggested out of nowhere.

Boyd looked at Ghoul inquisitively, “Now that you mention it, it might be a name of a person but a person named Zero who is coming? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Well, for other people, our Killjoy names don’t make sense, right?” Ghoul pointed out.

“Alright,” Jet Star interjects, leaving Ghoul’s question hanging. “We’re going to tell this Zero, whatever it was, to Show Pony.”

“Good,” said Boyd, smiling at Star.

“Uh Boyd,” said Jet Star slowly. “We’re just wondering if we can stay here in your community for a while. You know, ask around about Party. And we actually need some resources and food.”

“You know the rules of the Zone, right?” Boyd immediately tells. The Fabulous Killjoys nodded even without any knowledge what rule Boyd is talking about. “In this community, you need to work for your food. This community is one of the main producers of grains and root crops for the entire remaining Zones since the radiation here is very low compare to other Zones. Well, I guess you already know about that.”

Boyd continues, “So, in time, radiation dropped and it is now safe to plant crops both in Zones 1 and 2. The soil at Zone 3 is still terrible. It’s too sandy that you cannot plant any crops. So if you need food and other resources, you need to work for it in this community, unless you would opt to raid other structures around Zone 1.”

The Fabulous Killjoys know that raiding is impossible due to their almost nonexistent resources.

“You need to work in the fields for a while, but the job is not hard,” said Boyd enthusiastically. “You just need to water the crops, remove pests and some weeds. Our yield is pretty good but resources are still very limited. Some of our friends managed to hijack one BL/ind truck two weeks ago. It’s full of flour and some other stuff for making bread which is good.” Boyd pointed his finger towards the boxes with Better Living Industries labels which are beside the crates and sacks.

 _‘So those boxes are hijacked from BL,’_  Fun Ghoul said to himself, his question now clarified.

“We can also provide you your tent and some body bags as your sleeping bags,” Boyd added. Fun Ghoul is quite convinced, even without asking Boyd that those body bags came from hijacking BL/ind vehicles too. “That’s all this community can provide for the Fabulous Killjoys. Once you’re all finished with your task, you’re free to ask around about your friend. So is this set-up good for the three of you?”

“It’s actually much better than raiding. Thank you so much, Boyd,” said Jet Star, extending his hand towards Boyd.

“Well, this is all we can do to our friends," said Boyd, shaking Jet Star's hand. "I hope you’ll enjoy your stay here and find information about your friend."

“Thanks again, Boyd,” said Jet Star.

“No problem, Fabulous Killjoys.”

-

The Fabulous Killjoys know that it is very hard to acquire foods in the Zones and they are very thankful to Boyd’s community for providing them food and shelter. The Fabulous Killjoys learned that Boyd’s community is mainly a food-producing center – which largely explains the rebel’s demeanor. Tents are preferred as a main form of shelter so the rebels living inside this community can act fast if ever there’s a threat.

Boyd also tells them that it is their job to gather foods (which explain the hijacking of BL/ind trucks), plant root crops and grains, protect their food resources even if it cost their lives, and provide foods to nearby communities in the Zones. He tells them that those are the main reasons why their community exists in Zone 1.

Knowing this community’s priority, it also explains why resources meant for building structures are close to zero. That’s the reason why they can only use bricks as their wall’s primary building blocks. Boyd tells them that hand-to-hand combat (or ray gun-to-ray gun) is the preferred way to protect their resources. They don’t trust structures to act as their primary defence against S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units. So far, they are very successful and that’s explains why Show Pony describes them having a strong defence system.

For four years, it is not a problem for the Fabulous Killjoys since it is readily available and provided inside the Inner City. But now, they had to labour under the sun in order to eat. They are not complaining and the work is very easy.

They pitched their shelter tent away from most of the tents for no reason. Sleeping inside a body bag, although they are still alive and breathing definitely feels weird and uncomfortable. But the Fabulous Killjoys don’t really have any choice and complaining is definitely out of the picture. Besides, Boyd is very friendly towards them and helped them immensely. Even Fun Ghoul had a few conversations with him, discussing their body arts with each other.

Right after they finished with their work, they will ask the rebels and other people living in the community if they see any signs of Party Poison, but they just gave them the same response they got from Boyd.

-

It was on their third day of stay in the community when they received a bad news.

Zones 10 and 15 fell down to the hands of Better Living Industries.

It’s unbelievable and baffling how in the world BL managed to destroyed two Zones which is hundreds of miles apart, just three days after The Great Raid. They are also told that BL/ind is extremely furious after The Great Raid. And yes, Better Living Industries already know that the Fabulous Killjoys escaped and are back in the Zones.

The Fabulous Killjoys also learned that Better Living Industries released an order to dust anyone associated with them without mercy. The same order is released for them – exterminate immediately.

And there are only five Zones left.


	4. Chapter 4

“Unbelievable…”

Jet Star’s heart sank – distressed with what might possibly occur in the following days. The Fabulous Killjoys couldn’t believe how in the world Better Living Industries managed to destroy two Zones in just _a day_. It was also reported that thousands of people living in those Zones are dusted in just a day. The whole community is livid and tension is rising, and they couldn’t hide away their fear towards Better Living Industries.

The Fabulous Killjoys knows it very well that _it is impossible_ to conquer a Zone in just a day. But Better Living Industries proved them _wrong_ – they even destroyed two Zones in just a day. Based on their experience, Frank and Mikey (who used to work in the now-destroyed Database) and Ray (who was assigned to deliver profiles of dead people coming from a conquered Zone) knows that launching an attack in one Zone and coming out victorious don’t happen in a day. But the Fabulous Killjoys are also aware that BL/ind seems to acquire better knowledge and tactics on how to conquer a Zone. They also know that there’s someone behind the Strategy Group of Better Living Industries who’s responsible for their success and they can’t help but wonder who that person was.

The absence of Draculoids in Zone 1 when the Fabulous Killjoys made their way from The Diner going to Boyd’s community now make sense to Fun Ghoul. It appears that the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units were all summoned in Battery City to prepare for Better Living Industries massive attack against Zones 10 and 15.

Now, everyone who lives in the Zones fear that it might only be a matter of days before Better Living Industries launch their attack to the remaining five Zones – _reclaim them to become a future site of something better_. And the Fabulous Killjoys know that BL/ind will only turn all the Zones into a community similar to Inner City. And once they are successful in conquering them all, it only means one thing – _they now rule the world and no one can stop them anymore_. The Fabulous Killjoys couldn’t help but feel that they brought BL/ind’s wrath upon to themselves – that Dr. Death Defying is very wrong in attacking Inner City first.

It was the Fabulous Killjoys fourth night in Boyd’s community and they all sat around a campfire that they set near their tent. Prior to this campfire meeting, they refrained from talking about the events that unfold yesterday – which was the destruction of Zones 10 and 15. They also realized that it’s also good thing they pitched their tent away from the other tents, because they know that they need to talk about their plan of finding Party Poison as soon as possible.

But amongst this group of outlaws, it was Jet Star who looked restless and desperate for information which surprises both Fun Ghoul and Kobra Kid. Since Party Poison is still missing, Jet Star assumed his position as their leader, and both Ghoul and Kobra accepted it without making any fuss. Fun Ghoul believes that among them, it’s Jet Star who will stay composed and collected – he’s the guy who always knows the right words to say. But it all appears that he’s troubled right now.

But Fun Ghoul knows he couldn’t blame Jet Star for acting that way though, because the news that Zones 10 and 15 were destroyed in just a day is _indeed_ very terrifying. Again, no one expected that Better Living Industries are capable of launching this kind of massive attack and walking away successful. Fun Ghoul wonders if there’s any available approach that they could use in order to defeat BL/ind.

He knows they couldn’t launch an attack first. He knows well that they are outnumbered and launching an attack from their side first is _suicide._ Bringing the war to them is never their primary goal – _its survival_. No wonder all the rebels who infiltrated Inner City got dusted. Fun Ghoul is quite convinced that Dr. Death Defying got it wrong with his Great Raid bullshit. But he also knows that without The Great Raid, they won’t be able to escape from Battery City.

Besides, Ghoul knows that survival is the main priority when one resisted the comfort, safety, and perfection that Better Living Industries offers. It is not enough to hide away from Draculoids – Zone rats need a way to protect themselves against them. For others, BL’s offer is enticing – you just need to take the drugs they offer and you’ll feel good forever; or have yourself brainwashed and be part of their experiment in creating a community where everyone shares the same ideology. But for those who seen the light like the Fabulous Killjoys, they need to fight in order to survive.

It is somewhat entertaining for Fun Ghoul, although it sounds stupid, because he can’t help but wonder if there’s a messiah out there, or maybe there is some sort of prophecy that would tells them how to defeat Better Living Industries. He prefers the idea that there might be a messiah that will descend from heavens who will save them from the wrath of Better Living Industries. But he is also aware that this idea is ridiculous.  

After a short while, Fun Ghoul realized that he is poking the campfire with a stick, staring at it blankly. And then, his mind started to drift far away again, now thinking about Party Poison.

He misses his old life, living without wearing masks and bearing a different name. He misses having normal conversation in the old world when Better Living Industries doesn’t control the State yet. He missed calling his friends in their first name basis regardless of location. He misses calling Party Poison Gerard, or Gee and he misses the way Gerard calls him Frankie. He knows very well that once they are in the Zones, they need to address each one using their Killjoy names because the rule.

The first time they wore their mask and have chosen their Killjoy name, they all know that they will start to live a different life. But regardless of walking away from the old life that they used to have, Fun Ghoul and Party Poison decided to continue on with their relationship, until the day Party decided that it’s over between them. Fun Ghoul knows Party was being selfish, but he could see through his eyes how scared he was. And the only thing that Fun Ghoul can do for Party Poison is to just accept it without putting up any fight. He could still remember it like it just happened yesterday – it was the first time he felt that Party was afraid – not only to Better Living Industries but to Korse himself. He knows it, even though he never mentioned it to him. He remembers how Party tried to hide his emotion as they started to make their way inside the Better Living Industries’ headquarters. That’s why Fun Ghoul tried his best to stay near to Party Poison until they found Grace.

Fun Ghoul thinks where Party Poison is now. Suddenly, he remembers the time when he confessed to Gerard that he will be lonely if he loses him – that he is his only reason to go on with his life– that he means the world to him. And Gerard said the same thing to him. And that was the time when they both realized that they are more than just friends and they couldn’t hide it any more. Right at that moment, they know that they’ve just crossed the line of being friends to becoming lovers. Frank is surprised though how he could still be here, alive and fighting when all he knows is he cannot live without Gerard. He thought that what keeps him alive is this tiny hope that he keeps in his heart – that someday, hopefully sooner, he will see Gerard again. And he knows that they need to find the love of his life immediately because BL/ind is now moving fast towards conquering the remaining Zones.

Fun Ghoul was immediately pulled back to reality when Kobra flicked his temple, much to his annoyance.

“What are you thinking, Ghoul?” asked Kobra, grinning slightly.

“Your brother,” Ghoul replied truthfully, throwing an annoyed look at Kobra.

“Oh,” said Kobra, looking surprised to Ghoul’s blunt confession that he’s thinking about his brother. He then turn his gaze to Jet Star and asked, “How about you, Star?”

“M’ fine,” Star groaned, looking at the campfire, pensive. Then he suddenly added, “I think we should all go to Dr. Death’s location first and stop looking for Party Poison.”

Suddenly, Fun Ghoul felt stunned. He thinks he just misheard Jet Star, but Kobra Kid appears to be shocked too. Ghoul glared at Jet Star who still looks pensive; not giving a shit that both he and Kobra are glaring back at him.

“You’re _joking_ , right?” asked Fun Ghoul, trying his best to keep calm although he knows he’s about to lose it if Jet Star gave him a wrong answer.

But Jet Star didn’t respond.

“I’m sorry Star, but no,” Kobra Kid answered back, looking directly at Jet Star. “We are not going to Dr. Death’s place without my brother. _What’s happening to you?”_

“Isn’t it better to stay at Dr. Death’s location?” Jet Star suggested flatly.

“And then what? Stay there and do nothing?” Fun Ghoul spat, his voice louder than before. “Oh wait! Maybe we sit comfortably at Dr. Death’s loft, drink all the Neptune Pops that he offers and wait for BL/ind shitheads to come start destroying the remaining Zones until nothing is left. Am I right, huh, _Toro_? You want that?” Ghoul paused for a while. He realized he just called Jet Star in his name, and then repeated Kobra Kid’s question, “And yeah, what’s happening to you?”

“I'm sorry,” Jet Star said putting up his hands in the air as a sign of giving up to Fun Ghoul and Kobra Kid. “I’m scared, okay? The news we received yesterday scared me.”

“The feeling is mutual. We are too, Star,” said Kobra Kid, trying his best to comfort Jet Star. “But we need to move on and continue with our mission. He’s my brother and he’s your best friend. We cannot just stop now, Star and you know that!”

“But you’ve never been into the Zones before!” Jet Star started opening up, his voice strained with pain and horror which startled both Kobra Kid and Fun Ghoul. “When I… I heard the news, suddenly all my memories from the Zones came flooding down on me. Before… when I’m still not waking up and was working for BL/ind… I… I would often see hundreds of dusted people in the Zones. And before, I… I don’t give a shit that they’re dead because we’re brainwashed and you know… that it’s a collective idea that we should hate rebels… And I tell you, not most of the rebels are killed using ray guns… BL is plain evil and I remember that there’s blood everywhere and it was horrible…. Now that I remember it, it fucks me up… And it’s only a matter of time that the remaining Zones will be soaking in blood… I… I swear they’re capable of doing evil things and they really plan to wipe away everyone who doesn’t follow them.”

“And Party needed us,” Kobra Kid pleaded, gripping Jet Star’s right shoulder. “And we need to find him immediately. We cannot stop now… not that we’re already escaped from Battery City.”

“Kobra is right, Star,” Frank added. “Pull yourself together. And besides, we can’t just hide away from BL/ind and you know that.”

“What we need to do is to find Party Poison immediately,” Kobra Kid repeated again.

“But we don’t even know where to find him,” Jet Star countered glumly.

Kobra Kid sighed, “We will find him, no matter what. We’re going to check all the places here in the Zones it we have to. And besides, aren’t you the one who keeps on reminding us that my brother is still alive?”

Jet Star gave a short and low chuckle. He looked at the two Killjoys and hesitantly, he smiled back at them. “Alright… I’m sorry and thanks guys…”

“Forget it, Star,” said Kobra Kid, moving closer to Jet Star before throwing his arms around him, hugging him and patting his back. “We’re all human and now, BL/ind are using fear to break us down. But we are not giving up, okay?”

“We will find Party Poison no matter what,” added Ghoul determinedly, grinning back at Kobra Kid and Jet Star.

“Yeah, Ghoul. We will,” said Jet Star agreeing to Ghoul. Kobra Kid released his arms off from Star and went back to his original place, sitting cross-legged.

“So what’s our plan _again_?” Ghoul asked.

“I suggest that after we talked to Show Pony, we’re Zonerunning again. We’ll visit the communities and other shops that we found and asked them about Party,” said Kobra Kid, his face unmistakably painted with hope which made Fun Ghoul smile.

“Alright, we’re stick to that plan,” said Ghoul. He looked at Jet Star, “Are you sure that you're okay?”

“Yeah,” Jet Star responded, grinning back at him.

Fun Ghoul smiled back at him and says, “Don’t let the night take you, Jet Star. We will find our way.”


	5. Chapter 5

_“Party! Wait for me! Please!”_ Fun Ghoul pleaded while running towards the man with bright red hair. Ghoul knows he badly needed to catch his own breath but he is afraid that if he stops running, Party will leave him.

But then he noticed that Party is not moving at all – in fact, he is just standing there, his feet glued on the sandy ground and his back turned against Fun Ghoul. Ghoul doesn’t know where they are, but it was too bright and the wind is annoyingly hot. He could also feel how rough the ground was against the out-soles of his boots. Ghoul wanted to see Party’s face and so he continues to run towards him, his arm reaching him…

And then suddenly, Party Poison turned around and Fun Ghoul gasped. Party looks so beautiful in his eyes – he is breathtaking. He wanted to touch his face… embrace him and hold him tight, never letting him go. Party smiled at him and his eyes is so kind. He opened his lips, mouthing words Fun Ghoul couldn’t hear.

 _“Party! Please!”_ Fun Ghoul begged, still running towards him while catching his own breath. And he knows he is not great at multitasking but he had to if he wants to reach Party. But no matter how fast he run, he just couldn’t catch him – it seems the road is endless. And Party is not moving there at all. He is just standing there and it bothers Ghoul. But Ghoul doesn’t have the time to wonder why Party is not moving. He just continues to run, reaching for him.

“ _Run away with me_ ,” said Party, now stretching his own right arm towards him. Upon hearing his words, Fun Ghoul’s felt his heart melted, his stomach twisted in pleasant ways. He beamed at Party, smiling back from ear to ear. _‘Finally,’_ Fun Ghoul thought, his eyes swimming in a pool of hope and joy. ‘ _Finally,’_ he said to himself again. He pushed himself more, pounding the sandy ground harder… he needs to catch him… just a little more…

Suddenly, his surroundings dimmed and Party Poison’s face became contorted, painted with indescribable fear, his lips shaking.

 _“PARTY!”_ Ghoul yelled, pushing himself more, trying his best to reach Party’s hands.

As Ghoul continues to run reaching for Party, he saw something moving behind Party. Pair of arms suddenly moves behind his shoulder, snaking around his neck. Another pair of black arms snaked in his stomach… then another pair moving in his legs… Ghoul watches in horror as he see Party being covered with dark arms around his body. He is not moving, but his right arm is still stretched towards Ghoul. Suddenly an arm behind Party moves, grabbing his right arm.

“ _PARTY! MOVE!”_ Ghoul yelled again, still running. He cursed himself as he watches the scene, still unable to do anything to stop the madness.

 _“Help me…”_ Party gasped.

_“PARTY!”_

Fun Ghoul noticed something is moving again behind Party. He narrows his eyes and he could see that there’s a faceless man standing behind Party Poison and its image is just very dark but his hair is oddly similar to Party – it is also bright red. Then he saw something move in the face – it’s an outline of the faceless man’s lips.

“ _He is dead. Gerard’s already dead_ ,” the faceless man gleefully tells Fun Ghoul. In a spur of moment, another pair of arms appeared, its hands now covering Party’s face. Party’s body is now fully covered with pairs of black arms and Fun Ghoul watches in horror; still running towards him… he need to save him…

 _“Gerard’s not dead…”_ Ghoul cried out.

_“NOOOOOOO!”_

“GHOUL! WAKE UP!”

Fun Ghoul opened his eyes and gasped for air. He felt like he was underwater for so long and he badly needed oxygen. He could feel his heart beating fast and his body shaking. Then he realized he is lying down, which was weird because he knows he is running… running towards Party Poison.

Fun Ghoul remembers what just happened and he became more panic-stricken.

“PARTY!” Fun Ghoul called. He scrambles from his position but his legs are caught from something. There’s white material covering his legs – _‘body bag?’_ he thought. He sat up, although his legs are still inside the body bag. Then he realized that two pairs of eyes are looking back at him, both horrified.

“You just had a nightmare, Fun Ghoul,” Kobra announces, looking terrified.

“Nightmare?” Ghoul repeated and his brain still a mess. Ghoul tried to understand what just happened. He knows he is not dreaming. He is running. He saw Party Poison… he saw his face… it doesn’t look like a dream. It felt so real that the small hair on the back of his neck stands up. And he knows he is running because he needs to save Party Poison.

“No…” Ghoul muttered, shaking his head, thoroughly confused. Jet Star and Kobra Kid exchanges worried look.  

 _‘No, it’s not a dream, it can’t be a dream,’_ he said to himself. He saw Gerard. He asked for help.

“Party… Gerard… save him… not a dream…” Ghoul continues to mutter under his breath, but the volume is enough for Kobra and Star to hear it.

Kobra Kid and Jet Star looked back at Fun Ghoul, concerned. Star reached for Fun Ghoul’s left shoulder, gripping it. “No, Ghoul. It’s just a dream, a bad dream.”

“NO!” said Ghoul and he continues to shook his head. He run his fingers to his hair, still trying to understand the situation. He looked around and he realized he was inside a tent, and it’s sweltering. It’s still dark and the only source of light is from somewhere near them – but Ghoul knows he doesn’t have any time to figure out where. He then looked at his friends who are still looking at him. And he could see that they are both worried about him.

“I had a dream about Party,” Fun Ghoul started. Kobra Kid and Jet Star looked at him, intently listening to what Ghoul says. “Then I was running, trying to catch him… But no matter how fast I run, I just couldn’t reach him, although he is just standing there… then… then…” Ghoul bit his nail, his eyes moves rapidly and he is shaking, “Pairs of arms covered him, and then there’s a man behind him… he said Gerard’s dead…”

“Oh _Frank_ ,” Kobra Kid shuffled from his position and then reached for Fun Ghoul, hugging him tight. Kobra could feel how terrified Fun Ghoul was and he understands him. He is still shaking so bad. Fun Ghoul tightly shut his eyes. He could feel the sting in his eyes but he tried his best not to cry.

Still hugging and gently patting his back, Kobra Kid says, “It’s just a bad dream, Frank. Gerard’s not dead. We will find him, okay?”

Fun Ghoul wanted to say something nice back to Kobra, because although it sounds weird, Kobra Kid’s assurance somewhat help him realized that it is really just a bad dream and it is not real. Maybe because he knows that the man hugging him right now is Gerard’s brother and it’s oddly familiar.

‘ _They’re right. Just a bad dream,_ ’ he thought. He let out a sigh, relieved, but he felt very awful because of that dream. Kobra Kid released his arms off from Ghoul and lightly pats his shoulder.

Ghoul noticed he is soaking with his own sweat, his shirt sticking in his skin. He shuffles, unzipping the rest of the body bag that still covers his legs. He lies back again, but he curls into a ball although it feels uncomfortable – actually it’s always uncomfortable sleeping in the Zones. But at least he has the sleeping bag which he can use to cover the sandy ground. He started to breathe in and out, trying his very best to make his heart beat normal again. Kobra Kid and Jet Star watches Fun Ghoul rest, still exchanging worried glances, hoping that Fun Ghoul will feel better.

-

Fun Ghoul slept for another two hours before he was gently awakened by Kobra Kid. He opened his eyes and he noticed that it’s still dark.

He felt better and he was no longer bothered by the bad dream he just had hours ago. But he chose to remember one single thing from his nightmare and it was Party’s face when he looked back at him, radiating and smiling.

“We’re moving out within an hour, by daybreak” said Jet Star, tossing his neatly folded body bag towards Kobra Kid’s direction.

Confused, Fun Ghoul sat up and looked at Star, meeting his eyes, “Why are they moving – _oh!_ ”

Fun Ghoul immediately remembers that they need to go back to The Diner today. Seven days had passed already and the Fabulous Killjoys need to leave Boyd’s community today because Show Pony told them that he will contact them at exactly 14:00 hours.

The days went incredibly fast and if Fun Ghoul is going to be honest, he found their stay at Boyd’s community cool at first. People are helpful and rebels are very eager to help them. They asked them about Party Poison, and even though that they just received the same response all over, they are still grateful.

But when the news of the fall of Zones 10 and 15 broke, fear suddenly prevails. Even Jet Star was troubled after he heard the news. And the Fabulous Killjoys know that there’s nothing they can do to help people feel that they are still safe.

The Fabulous Killjoys started to move around, packing only the important stuff inside one knapsack bag – which mostly are some Power Pup cans they got from Boyd. The Fabulous Killjoys are no longer bothered by the presence of BL/ind products in the community and so they didn’t even have to ask where Boyd got the cans.

After clearing up the place where they pitched their tent, they decided to head out. They meet Boyd at the main gate and they said their goodbyes, promising him that they will come back soon.

-

The journey back to The Diner is intense, nerve-racking and very different compare to the last trip they had. It also doesn’t help that it was hot that day even though it is far too early yet and the field is almost empty – like it’s deserted for so many years. And at the back of their heads, they fear that Draculoids or even the Exterminator himself might suddenly appear out of nowhere since they are officially back in their most wanted list again after four years. 

The Fabulous Killjoys trained their ears to stay vigilant while they’re switching their only mode of transportation from running to walking, closely listening to any sound of moving vehicle. And when they finally reached The Diner, Fun Ghoul gave a similar observation from the previous trip they had – it is strange that there are no signs of their enemies, but they were still all tensed up and fear hadn’t left from their hearts.

And they thanked the gods out there, whoever or whatever it was, although they know they don’t exist, for keeping them safe.

-

It was exactly 14:00 hour when they received a call from Show Pony using the same device they used a week ago.

“ _Hey Fabulous Killjoys,”_ Show Pony calls at them; his voice lacks any sign enthusiasm that he used to have when they called him last time.

“Hi Show Pony,” Jet Star replied back, slightly worried that there might be something wrong.

 _“Let’s make this quick, Killjoys,”_ Show Pony quickly said and the Fabulous Killjoys are all ears. _“So I was able to prepare an old beat up truck at Zone 3 and it only took me one week prepare that so you better thank me! So the community is located east and probably it will take you days to get there since you’re uhh – and I quote Ghoulie, ‘zonewalking’. But I’m asking you again if you are all hundred percent sure you don’t want to go here in our HQ after? Our HQ’s in Zone 4.”_

“No, Show Pony.” It was Fun Ghoul who answered back. “We decided to find Party Poison first.”

“ _But –_ ” Show Pony sighed as a sign of defeat. _“Alright, alright… It’s just… a lot of things happened in the past week. I bet you heard the news that Zones 10 and 15 fell down into the hands of Better Living Industries. Fuck them!”_ Show Pony’ furiously shouted and the Fabulous Killjoys jumped back, surprise to the sudden change of his tone. He continues, _“It’s crazy and sad and so unbelievable! Two Zones in one day? They must be really eager to wipe us all!”_

“Yes we’re aware, Pony.” Kobra Kid replied back without enthusiasm.

_“And a lot has changed in Zones 1 to 5. Everyone is very afraid and distressed that BL/ind will launch their attack soon.”_

“But Pony –” said Kobra Kid but he was immediately interrupted by Show Pony.

 _“Can’t you see the point I’m trying to make here?”_ said Show Pony desperately. _“A lot has changed Killjoys in just a span of a week! You cannot just walk around in the Zones like before. It’s completely different from last time. What if… what if you met a group of Draculoids while you’re looking for Party, huh?”_

“We're aware of the risks, Show Pony,” said Fun Ghoul. “And we understand that you’re worried. Trust us, we know you care. But no one can stop us, not even you or Dr. Death. We’re all moving forward.”

 _“Guys –”_ Show Pony protested, and then heard him sighing loudly. _“Okay, I understand. We’re actually expecting that kind of response from you, but I’m still asking just in case you change your mind.”_

“So is the truck going to stay there?” said Jet Star, steering the previous conversation away and making sure that Show Pony won’t bring it up again. “You see, we changed our plans and we don’t intend on going to Zone 3 yet. We realized that our priority is to ask around about Party Poison. We’ll start here in Zone 1. We know there are still a lot of communities and shops around and where we can ask information about our friend.”

_“What? And you’re saying you plan on finding Party Poison by foot?”_

“Uh huh,” Fun Ghoul replies back. “And I quote myself, we’re zonewalking.”

 _“But didn’t I tell you before that it’s not safe to just walk around in the Zones?”_ Show Pony replied angrily. _“Aren’t you all listening to me?”_

“Only in Zones 1 and 2” Jet Star tells Show Pony. “And didn’t we tell you that no one can stop us? And once we’re on the boundary of Zone 3, we will go first to the community where you left the truck.”

 _“Isn’t that counterproductive?”_ Show Pony asked earnestly. _“I mean, Killjoys… Holy shit! I’m lost. I really don’t know what’s running in your heads.”_

“Giving you credit, sometimes we don’t understand ourselves,” said Fun Ghoul nonchalantly. “And what we only want to do right now is to find Party Poison. And besides, we also need to walk to get to Zone 3. So I guess it’s more productive in our part to check the communities and shops we’re going to pass and ask them about Party.”

“Yeah, we don’t think it’s counterproductive in our part, Show Pony,” said Jet Star. “We understand that the times have changed and we’re back on the Exterminator’s list. So while we’re looking for information about Party, we also need immediate places where we can hide just in case hordes of Draculoids appeared in the fields. And Ghoul is correct. We don’t want to waste more time. Since we’re already here at Zone 1, and Zone 3 is like, what? A hundred or more so miles away from us, we definitely need to strategically and efficiently plan our activity. And we lack resources. We need to raid or even trade; although what we only have right now are a bunch of canned foods.”

 _“Alright… alright… I give up,”_ said Show Pony. _“So it might take you longer, probably weeks before you get into Zone 3?”_

“Yeah… Probably,” Jet Star said.

_“Alright, Killjoys. Just… uh… be safe. It’s way more dangerous now here in the Zones, but we’re still somewhat organized so I believe a lot of people and rebels will be willing to help you. Your vehicle is in Zone 3. Ask around for a lady named Vinyl with a bright violet hair. She will take you to where your truck was.”_

“Thanks Show Pony,” the Fabulous Killjoys said in unison.

_“Alright I gotta–”_

“WAIT!” Jet Star actually yelled, which surprised not only Show Pony but the two Killjoys as well. Star remembers something which they need to tell Pony about. “Boyd told us to tell you about this thing called Zero. They heard Draculoids saying that name a handful of times already.”

“ _Oh that_ ,” said Show Pony flatly. _“We heard about it many times too and actually, Dr. Death had an idea about it. We guess the right term for that is the rise of zero. Mentions about this zero just appear right after Zones 22 fell down months ago. It was the last Zone BL conquered before Zones 10 and 15 fell down four days ago. That term make much sense right after BL/ind attacked those two Zones. So we think it’s only a term, no more, no less.”_

“What do you mean it’s just a term?” asked Jet Star, his brows furrowed. “We don’t understand.”

_“Don’t you get it? I repeat – that term made sense right after they conquered Zones 10 and 15. Five Zones left and they call it fall of five Zones. Once the remaining five Zones fall down, there are no Zones left – zero. Rise of zero. Get it?”_

“Ohhhhh!” The Killjoys said in unison, exchanging glances with one another like they just discovered the deepest darkest secret of the universe.

_“It’s just a rumor around. But we hope that the fall of five Zones would never happen. We are planning our next move now. And the closest thing we can do to slow down BL/ind, if not fully stop them, is to find out who is this brain behind the Strategy Group of Better Living Industries and maybe plan an attack against him. I mean, we got information that ever since he became the brain of that group, BL/ind became oddly successful in conquering the Zones. We bet that he’s planning the next attack now. But we can only wish is that it will take this person longer in making his first move. But for now, we are trying to get information about him from our spies inside Battery City. They said it was a guy, but it appears that information might be wrong. Some members of the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units were under the impression that it’s a man called Flare but it appears that this Flare guy is only a messenger of the brain of this group, like he just delivers the strategy that the brain elaborately planned. Rumors said that he never leaves his place at all.”_

“I also heard about him before, when we’re still at Inner City,” Jet Star said. “And I mentioned it to Ghoul and Kobra too. That person is shit scary. Wait, what if it’s a computer? You said he never leaves his place. Or maybe a robot? A Droid or something.”

_“Probably. It’s crazy because we also don’t think that the brain is human at all.”_

“Or this brain is a human connected to a machine or robot or something like that,” Fun Ghoul added his own thoughts.

Show Pony sighed. “ _So alright! I guess that was it,”_ Fun Ghoul rolls his eyes because again, no one commented to what he just said. Show Pony continues, “ _Since you don’t have your Doom Box, I guess the best way to stay updated to Dr. Death’s announcements is to stay closer to people around in the Zones. Just asked around for any updates. Alright?”_

“Yeah. Thanks Show Pony! You’re fucking awesome, you know that?” said Jet Star and they heard Show Pony gave a very cute giggle on the other line.

_“You’re always welcome, motherfuckers.”_


	6. Chapter 6

_Somewhere inside Better Living Industries Headquarters in Battery City…_

Korse is _fucking_ _restless_. He’s standing outside the huge metal door for almost half an hour. There’s a small orb at the very top of the door and its bright red. Red light means that the Director of Better Living Industries is busy and no one can enter her room. Korse thinks the idea of having an orb to warn her subjects is stupid. But Korse knows that he couldn’t tell her his opinion because it will cost him his own head.

He’s been staring at her door for a very long time and his knees are killing him. It also doesn’t help that he’s becoming more and more anxious as the minute pass by. He doesn’t want to think that something is wrong; but he couldn’t help but imagine that once he enters the door, he will be met with a ray gun pointing straight to his forehead. The Director is very unpredictable and Korse had already stopped counting how many times he saw her killing Draculoids out of her anger. And so, he tries to rack his brain of all the possible reasons why he was summoned at this very odd time of the night.

‘ _It’s fucking past midnight_ ,’ Korse told himself and all he wanted to do is sleep. There are a lot of things running inside his head and he is just too tired. He just came back from Zone 10 this morning and all he wanted is a vacation which sounds oddly funny coming from the best Exterminator of Better Living Industries. But he knows he can’t ask for it right now. He knows the Fall of Five Zones is looming in and only god knows how many tasks he will be assigned to. Maybe the reason why he is standing outside her door is related to the Fall of Zones; although he couldn’t help but to be annoyed at her because it’s not polite to discuss those matters at this ungodly hour of the night.

Korse groaned and mutters under his breath, “ _Well, if that’s the case, it could wait in the morning, damn it_!”

‘ _But it might be something important_ ’, said another voice inside Korse’s head.

‘ _Holy shit!_ _Everything the she says is considered important.'_  He could feel his anxiety is now messing up with his thought process.

Suddenly, the profile he’s carrying slip off from his hands. He’s too preoccupied with questions and possible scenarios that he almost forgot that he is carrying a profile that the Director asked him to retrieve. Additionally, he’s too anxious and he feels someone is watching him. He picked the profile from the floor and pressed it to his chest – the act itself is similar to hugging someone who’s dearest to him.

Then he saw the orb at the very top of the metal door turned blue which signals that he could now enter. Korse held the profile tightly to his chest, letting out a loud sigh and trying his best to calm himself. He then popped his neck from left then to the right. Once that he felt the tension inside his chest lessened, he let his right arm dropped; his hand clutching the profile.

He pressed a button from the door. The door swung open and he let himself in.

“Good evening, _my lady_ ,” Korse greeted with some kind of fake bravery tone, announcing his presence inside the room. Feeling bold since there’s no ray gun pointing at him, he continues, “You summoned me half an hour ago. May I ask why my presence is needed at this time? I’m under the impression it might be something important, perhaps this might be a Zone-related discussion?”

But the Director didn’t even look at him – she’s busy reading something which quickly annoyed Korse. In fact, Korse is pissed off at her for a very long time. He’s been at her office a million times and the Director’s room is always the same – very dark _‘like her soul’_ Korse thought which made him grin a little. Her room doesn’t have any windows and the only source of light comes from all the computer monitors that cover one of her wall. The Head of Better Living Industries is sitting behind her large desk where piles of papers and documents spread all over it.

“Don’t fool me, Korse. I know you’re aware why I called you,” she replied, now looking at Korse sharply like she’s telling him to stop with his bullshit formality.

Korse suddenly felt that there’s a huge lump stuck in his throat. He doesn’t like where this conversation is going. He cleared his throat and says, “All I could think of, my lady, is this might be something about the Zones?”

“First of all, I would like to congratulate you for your success –“

“Well, it’s only possible because he –“

“Don’t interrupt me Korse,” she spat, throwing him a death glare.

“Please forgive me my lady, for my sudden boldness,” Korse apologizes, his head bowing down at her. His palms sweating.

“There are only five Zones left now and he’s already planning our next attack,” she tells Korse and Korse nodded as a sign that he understands what she is talking about.

She tucks some strands of her short black hair behind her ear and she continues, “However, I told him to put his planning on hold because I remember something yesterday. A few months ago, you suggested a completely different plan in order to destroy the Zones, although you are an Exterminator and not a Strategist.” She points out to Korse, his eyes narrowing. “You’re aware I’m fully against about that plan, remember?”

Korse started to rack his brain again. He doesn’t remember the plan she’s talking about.

“I… Can you be more _specific_ , my lady? My memory fails me and I don’t remember the plan I suggested.”

“You know what I’m talking about, Korse. Don’t make me look like a fool here. I don’t know what’s running inside your head, Korse,” she tells him sharply.

Korse would like to protest but he’s lost for words.

“But remember that you’re only his keeper, but he is _mine_ – I _created_ him.” She reminded Korse coldly and Korse just swallowed hard. “I hate to think that something bad might happened to him because if ever he died, everything that I’ve been working for will be wasted and this corporation will be back to zero. I don’t want that to happen because I wasted a lot of time and resources to build this corporation. And since you are his keeper, if something bad happened to him, it will cost you your life.”

She continues, “But I discussed the plan with him earlier and he thinks it’s a great idea and has the potential to end this war because it will eliminate _his greatest threat_.” Then the Director chuckled, “Can you imagine that? He’s behind to our all recent success and he thinks that  _your plan_ is great? Personally, I really find your plan _stupid_ Korse. to be honest here. But I need to clean the Zones as soon as possible. And as much as I wanted to hate your plan, I guess I have to agree this time that what you suggested is the fastest way to win this war.”

Suddenly, Korse remembers the plan she is talking about and he wants smirk as a sign of triumph, but resisted or else she might think he is hiding something from her.   

“I see, my lady. I’m very much aware of my position in this corporation and I will do anything. But he’s very capable and he can take care of himself. I’m glad you’re finally allowing him to take care of this with his own hands,” Korse tells her confidently and she bobs her head as a sign of agreement.

The Director started to reach for folders that is scattered around his desk. One by one, she started to lay it down at the edge of the desk until it almost became a ruler-high stack of folders. “Take those, Korse. Bring those folders including that profile you’re holding to him. He knows what to do with it.”

Korse moves closer to her desk and picked up the folders. “Yes, my lady. I will bring these to him right now.”

“Good.”

“Anything else, my lady?”

She shook her head, “You may now go.”

Korse bow down his head and then left her office.

Korse started to make his way down. The hallway is empty for obvious reason. Holding the folders using both his hand, he punched the elevator button using his elbow down to Level 18 and marched his way to the room located at the very end of the hall.

The metal door is relatively smaller compare to the Director’s and it gives an unwelcoming vibe. He’s not a stranger to this room at all but he still needs to ask for permission because of his position at Better Living Industries. The Strategist rarely left his room at all and the only time he leaves is when the Director summons him. And Korse hates it whenever the Director summons him to her office. Korse hates it because she’s plain evil and only god knows what she is doing to him – because according to her she created him and she can do whatever she wants. Korse would often see some scratches and bruises in his arms and face sometimes, and Korse know it was her who did that to him. But he won’t say anything about it and he doesn’t give a shit even though he’s bleeding.

And Korse is also aware that the Strategist is evil too – way more evil than her. His eyes burn in extreme triumph whenever his plan goes well. He loves it when hundreds of people are dusted and he enjoys making plan on how to destroy the Zones, saying it is the best part of the game. He treats everything as a game - like one of those board games and he kills anyone he doesn’t like. In his game, the rebels are his enemies and so he enjoys making plans on how to eliminate them. And Korse is thankful though because he’s in his good page in his game and being his keeper gives an advantage. But only time can tell when his job as a keeper is over and the Strategist will treat him like scum.

All across Battery City, the Strategist is the only perfect being of Better Living Industries – because he is created and not just a human who’s brainwashed or reprogrammed.

He is not human.

Korse knocked three times before turn the doorknob, opening it slightly. He peered through the small opening of the door, looking if the Strategist is awake.

“Sir?” Korse calls.

“Come in Korse,” the man said and Korse let himself in, his knees shaking.

His room is very similar to the Director, although it is smaller. There’s a small bed at the corner because he works and sleeps in only one room. It’s also dark – actually it’s always dark and the only source of light inside the room is from the single computer monitor in his desk. The Strategist back is turned against Korse, sitting comfortably in his revolving chair. Korse knows the Strategist wants to keep the conversation to a minimum and he doesn’t like to look at people. Tonight, and as usual, Korse could only see the outline of his dark brown hair.

Then Korse’s gaze was immediately pulled by a body lying on the floor and his jaw dropped, his expression turned aghast. The man has light brown greasy hair and he was there, a few meters away from the Strategist’s feet and Korse is sure the man is dead.

 _“What happened?”_ Korse asked, although he already knows the answer to his question.

“I killed him,” the man said nonchalantly, like what he just done is normal.

“What did he do – wait… Is that Flare?” Korse asked, his eyes still looking at the dead body.

“Yes, that’s Flare,” the man said flatly. “He keeps on pretending to his circle of friends that he was me, so I killed him.”

“But – _Sir!_ ” Korse calls, still quite shocked to see a dead body inside the room. He had seen corpses before, but very rarely inside the headquarters of Better Living Industries.

“Bring his body out once you leave,” the man instructs who’s still sitting comfortably in his chair. Korse knows that the Strategist doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. “So, I know the reason why you’re here, Korse. The witch finally agrees to your plan. Aren’t you happy now you got me out of my hole?”

“Uh…”

“You want me dead, right?” the man asked sharply.

“No, Sir!” Korse replied immediately. “That’s not my intention.”

“You’re aware that he hates you right?”

 _“Who?”_ asked Korse. Again, he doesn’t have a single idea who the man is talking about.

“But I don’t hate you, Korse,” said the man softly, his change of tone suddenly surprises Korse. “If it wasn’t for his sacrifice, I would not exist.”

“Oh…”

“Leave the folders down and you may leave after,” the man instructs. Suddenly, he turned off his computer monitor and the whole room became dark. Korse heard sudden movements from the man’s area. The man’s chair turned and now he is looking at Korse, but it was too dark for Korse to see his face.  

“And though I know very well all the details listed in that profile,” the man added confidently, “I just want to make sure that this plan goes well. I’m a Strategist and I don’t accept failure because I’m perfect.”

“Sir, it is never my intention to put you at risk and I trust your capabilities. And I’m your keeper and I will put my life in line for you.”

“I’m not quite convinced about that, Korse,” said the man darkly. “I know you’re keeping a secret from me, but I don’t have any plans to know what it is. You’re now dismissed. And don’t forget to bring that body out.” Then the man turned his back again and turns his computer screen on. Korse bowed down and as instructed, he left the pile of folders. Flare’s body is quite heavy and so Korse pulled his body out of the door. Before Korse shut the man’s door, he heard him say something which doesn’t surprises Korse at all.

“I really hope he will cooperate with me this time to make your plan works. You know, he’s still resisting.”

Korse shuts the door close and his lips formed a smirk as a sign of his triumph.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll be back in the Zones together with the Fabulous Killjoys next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

Fun Ghoul kicked a rock and it rolls over for a few meters before he curses the bright sky above. Ghoul’s skin is getting redder and tanner as the days go by due to Zonerunning from one point to another. He then wonders how one becomes a wave head because for him, it’s fucking nasty getting your skin cooked under the sun and _enjoying_ it. The days are just awful and sad. It’s been four weeks since they left The Diner and they just get the same response from all the people and rebels they met.

Everywhere the Fabulous Killjoys go, people recognize them. It doesn’t surprise them since new Exterminate posters with their faces littered the walls in some abandon shops and houses all across the Zones 1 and 2. Aside from the posters, they even made it to the front page of Battery City Times. They even met a kid once who asked them to sign the newspaper that he picked up from a trash bin. Sadly, no one among them owns a pen or pencil.

And due to their popularity in the Zones, normal people and even rebels offered them food, shelter and other valuables that they can use while they are Zonerunning. They made it a point that they only have to spend one night in every community that they visit to maximize their time. But they didn’t expect that resources will run out fast that they had to go back to Boyd’s community. And they had labour at their fields again for four days.

Since they are back in the most wanted list, they know they will have to deal with S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units who roam the Zones. And heavens are still on the Fabulous Killjoys side because they managed to dust the Dracs (which normally are in groups of two or three only) that crossed their path and without them getting shot.

They are almost in the boundary of Zone 3 by noon when they saw an old ice cream shop which is converted to a small convenience shop. The shop is small and lined with expired vending soda machines and empty BL/ind battery vending machines outside. There are plastic tables and chairs outside too. Fortunately, this shop accepts trade, unlike Tommy Chow Mein’s who only thinks about is profit. They dropped by at his place two weeks ago and they had to haggle for a few packs of cigarettes simply because they badly needed it. Cigarettes are a luxury in the Zones and they don’t even have Carbons to pay for it. He doesn’t even give a shit that they are the Fabulous Killjoys – Chow Mein’s life basically revolves around profit in this forsaken land. In the end, they managed to get some cigarettes from him, thanks to some rebels who paid for it.

Jet Star and Kobra Kid were inside the shop to trade some of the stuff they got for some food, cigarettes and water. Fun Ghoul opted to stay outside of the shop to curse the sun, the sand, the skies, the clouds, the raven who is currently eating a dead mouse, the shop’s door and windows and even his boots. He hated them all and he is annoyed. He found an empty BL/ind Power Pup and he focused all his energy in his foot before kicking it hard. The can just rolled a few meters away from him.

He sighed and sat down in one of the plastic chair with weird scribbles all over it. The sun is too bright and he hates it with all his heart. He then curses the bright blue sky for the third time. Then, he allowed himself be swallowed by all the thoughts running inside his head while his eyes transfixed in the sky that he abhors.

He wonders, how long will it takes them to find Party Poison.

After a short while, Fun Ghoul felt someone taps his shoulder. Ghoul bets his friends noticed him spacing out again. He looked up and it was Kobra Kid, in his hands clutching two helmets (his and Star’s) while Jet Star holds some canned foods, bottles of waters and cigarettes.

“What took you so long?” asked Ghoul, still sitting down at his chair. Kobra moved and sat at the empty chair beside him. On the other hand, Jet Star placed the stuff they got in the plastic table painted with random neon paints, carefully putting them inside their knapsack bag one by one.

Kobra Kid opened the cigarette pack; he lit one before he passes it to Ghoul. Ghoul takes one long drag and appreciating all the smoke that fills his lungs. Smoke calms all his senses, although he knows it’s beauty is only temporary. And now that he felt calmer, he decided to stop cursing the sky and all the inanimate objects around.

Kobra sighed and Ghoul waits for his response. Kobra’s eyes are hidden behind his shades, his and Star’s helmet settled on the ground beside his legs.

“We asked the guy inside if there’s some news from the Zones,” said Kobra Kid, looking at Ghoul, “And it’s still same. BL haven’t made any move yet. And we’re still lucky actually, given that we only met a few Dracs out and we overpowered them easily. He also told us that some rebels were found dead in some random shops. Rumors said that they were not dusted by Dracs but by rebels.”

Fun Ghouls exhaled. “But it is not something new, right? Rebels killing other rebels. And there are a lot of rebels who doesn’t follow Dr. Death. They think Dr. Death’s radio thing is bullshit,” Ghoul pointed out.

“Yeah right,” said Kobra. “Velocity’s team is one and they are famous around the Zones. They had a clap with the Exterminator not once but a lot of times. And it was weird that his team always escapes from Korse.”

“It’s not weird, Kobra” Ghoul tells him as a matter of factly. He flicks his cigarettes and some of the ashes fell down in his black pants. He brushes it off with his hand. “I won’t be surprised if we found out his team actually works for BL and not really are rebels. And besides, it’s never our plan to found out why rebels kill other rebels.”

“Oh well, you have a point, Ghoul” Kobra sighed, “Let’s sit here for a while and wait a few hours before we move. The heat is shitty now and wave head’s the only ones enjoying it.”

“Fuck the skies,” Fun Ghoul tells. He realized he just cursed the sky again.

-

The Fabulous Killjoys arrived in a closed community in Zone 3 before sun down and the whole trip was Draculoid-free which made them really glad. There was a man standing outside the small metal gates who’s wearing pink aviator shades, tight grey shirt and a camouflaged skinny pants. His brown hair is shoulder-length, greasy and he has a scar in his forehead. Without even asking, the Fabulous Killjoys know that he guards the gate.

“Hey,” Jet Star calls at him and the man looked at them suspiciously. The Fabulous Killjoys had to maintain an awkward distance away from him. The man raised his right eyebrow and they could see it through his pink aviator shades. Jet Star cleared his throat, “Uh… We’re looking for a lady named Vinyl.”

“And why are you looking for Ms. Vinyl?” the man replies, his eyes narrowing and his voice husky.

“Is she in this community?” Ghoul asked kindly.

“Answer my question first,” the man spat back in heavy loud voice.

“We mean no harm Sir,” said Jet Star. Star sounded slightly nervous. “Show Pony tells us that to look for her once we got in Zone 3. D’you know Show Pony? Dr. D’s –”

“Uh huh, I know Pony,” said the man nodding at them, his voice suddenly back to its normal tone. “But you still haven’t answered my question.”

“Show Pony tells us to look for Vinyl because she knows where our truck is.” Jet Star quickly replied back.

“Oh, alright then,” the man replied and the Killjoys exchanged glances of surprise for the man’s sudden change of tone. “You’re the Fabulous Killjoys, right?”

“Yeah we are,” said Jet Star, grinning. “I’m Jet Star.”

“Fun Ghoul,” Ghoul introduces, raising his left hand awkwardly.

“Hi. I’m Kobra Kid,” said Kobra, looking at him.

“The name’s Nova,” the man – Nova tells them. “I’m sorry and I hoped I didn’t freak you out; just standard operating procedures here.” He smiled back at them and he knocked the metal door. The door swung open and the Fabulous Killjoys entered the door.

“Hey Ali,” Nova calls to the man standing near the door. “I need to bring our guests to Ms. Vinyl. Replace my post for a while.”

The man whom Nova called Ali whistled and winked at him. “Alright, baby.”

-

They all walked in silence as they pass the square houses and tents. The community is relatively small compare to Boyd’s and the other one they just visited last week. The bright blue sky that Fun Ghoul curses earlier is now a mixture of majestic orange, red and violet. There were a few rebels around which mostly are teenagers, everyone sporting different shades of bright neon hair colours. Beside them are their equally colourful motorcycles.

Suddenly, Nova unconsciously began to hum a song the Fabulous Killjoys doesn’t recognize. They walked for a few more minutes until they reached a small dome-shaped barracks. Nova stopped humming and then lifted the moss-green curtain which serves as its makeshift door.

Once inside, the Fabulous Killjoys saw lines of double-deck beds in the left corner. Each bed doesn’t have any mattress and it’s all just made of wood. On the other side are tables, chair and some other boxes. The Fabulous Killjoys thought the barracks is empty until a figure with bright violet hair caught their attention. She’s wearing a brown vest with multiple front pockets, a very fit black shirt and red jeans. She’s sitting at the very end corner and she appears to be reading a book. The Fabulous Killjoys are sure that lady is Vinyl.

“Ms. Vinyl!” Nova calls, his voice made a very low echo inside the barracks. “The Fabulous Killjoys are looking for you.”

Vinyl looked up. Nova started to march towards Vinyl and the Fabulous Killjoys followed him.

“Hey, Fabulous Killjoys,” Vinyl said cheerfully, smiling toothily at them. “What took you so long?”

But before the Fabulous Killjoys could even answer her question, Vinyl stood up immediately and started to walk away. “Come on, come on!” Vinyl waves at them. “Follow me, I’ll show you your vehicle.”

Vinyl ushered the Fabulous Killjoys in silence out of the barracks. They noticed that Nova decided to remain inside the barracks, or maybe he will return back to Ali or to his post. It’s only a short walk away before they reach an old beat-up two-seater blue Ford pick-up truck. And Fun Ghoul swallowed; he doesn’t like the look of the vehicle but he knows he cannot be demanding. It’s much larger than their old Trans Am and had multiple damaged panels. And they cannot even use the cargo area behind because the tailgate is missing. And the worst part among all of this is the truck is a fucking _two-seater_ only.

“It’s a very old model, but it still runs so it still serves its purpose,” Vinyl beaming at them, her left elbow resting in the hood.  “Pony told me they salvage this beauty somewhere and I totally forgot the whole story which is kinda sad. But yeah, at least you finally decided to claim this. It’s sitting here for weeks. So enjoy.”

Kobra Kid moves closer to the truck and he wiped some dusts and sands that cover the mirrors using his palm. Vinyl then digs the truck’s key from her vest and gave it to Kobra.

“Use the exit gate at the back cause, you know, the front gate is smaller,” Vinyl informs them. She then started to check out her nails which are painted with various colours.

“Thanks Vinyl for your assistance,” said Kobra extending his hand towards her which Vinyl gladly accepted. “And sorry if it took us, like what, uh… forever to get here. Maybe we’ll leave tomorrow morning if that’s alright with you. We’ll just camp out somewhere.”

“Hmmm… You can sleep in the barracks,” Vinyl offers, scratching her chin. “Most of the rebels here tend to stick in groups and would rather sleep outside or in their tents. And majority of them are teenagers who like to pretend they are camping. _Kids_ …”

“Thank you, Vinyl,” said Jet Star kindly. “But may we ask you something?”

“Spit it out.”

“We’re actually looking for our friend, that’s why it took us longer to get here. His name is Party Poison and he have this bright red hair and blue –”

“Bright red hair?” someone butted in behind them. The Fabulous Killjoys all turned around and they saw a boy, not older than 20 years old with short blonde hair. He’s standing behind them, carrying carrying some wood planks in his arms.

“Hi Ed,” said Vinyl to the kid.

“Hi Ms. Vinyl,” the boy replied back. “Our group just returned.”

“It appears so,” Vinyl said quietly.

The Fabulous Killjoys looked intently at the young man. “What did you just say?” It was Fun Ghoul who asked slowly, his heart beating faster than normal.

“I just said bright red hair,” Ed repeated, rolling his eyes. “Hey! Why are you looking at me like that? Why? You’re looking for a person with red hair?”

“Yes,” said Ghoul hoarsely. “Did you see someone around with that hair colour?”

“Hell yeah I did,” Ed nodded. “Our group saw this vehicle this morning, I guess at the boundary of Zone 1 and 2. Oh man, his vehicle is so cool! With this fun words and this spider design in the hood and ––”

Ed immediately stopped talking when Ghoul grabbed his shoulder blades tightly, his hands shaking. Fun Ghoul’s grip is so intimidating that some planks slip off from Ed’s grip. Fun Ghoul asked the young man, “Are… are you sure there’s a spider design in the hood? Is the man behind the wheel wearing blue leather jacket?”

“I don’t know the colour of his jacket, Sir,” Ed answered back. Fun Ghoul removed his grip and picked up the planks that slip off from Ed’s. He carefully placed it at the top. Ed continues, “We’re on our motorcycles when we heard something behind and we thought those are Dracs so we slowed down to check. When our leader notified us that it’s not a Draculoid car, we moved closer to his vehicle. I noticed then that his hair is bright red which I guess makes him one of us – a rebel. Our leader shouted something to him but he just continues to drive and passed us by without even saying anything. Well, I think that man is crazy…  he’s zonerunning alone…”

Ed didn’t even finish his story when the Fabulous Kiljoys immediately jumped inside their newly acquired truck. Kobra Kid sat in the driver’s seat and immediately inserted the key in the ignition and starts the engine. Jet Star and Fun Ghoul have no other choice but to squeeze themselves on the passenger’s seat.

“Hey Ed! Zone 1, right?” Fun Ghoul shouted back at Ed, confirming the information they got from him.

“Yeah. Boundary of Zone 1 and 2. Dead sure,” Ed replied back. “We think he’s going to Zone 1. You should ask around and there are some shops near the boundary. Maybe they saw him.”

“Oh god, thank you so much!” said Fun Ghoul to Ed, his heart racing with excitement. Ed just grinned back at them.

“Thank you, Vinyl for your help,” said Kobra Kid to Vinyl who’s standing outside near the driver’s seat window. “We would love to spend more time here, but we really need to find that man right now.”

“I actually don’t understand what just happened here, but yeah. Oh wait! There’s an old Doom Box under the passenger’s seat and it’s already tuned in to Dr. Death’s.”

“Thanks Vinyl!” Kobra shouted back as he started to drive the old pick-up truck, speeding its way out of the community.

“Oh god… Is this true?” said Fun Ghoul, still shaking with excitement. “Punch me in my face, Jet Star. I must be dreaming.”

“No, I won’t punch you in your face Ghoul,” Jet Star answered back. The vehicle just passed the back gate. “Fuck, is this true? Party is alive?”

“It appears so, Jet Star. That kid saw him!” said Fun Ghoul excitedly. “And he’s with our Trans Am! Oh god oh god…”

“How long will it takes us to reach Zone 1?”Jet Star asked Kobra. Kobra Kid looks at the road intently and Jet Star could see it through his face how focused he was, but incapable of hiding his own excitement.

“I actually don’t know, Star,” Kobra Kid answered back. He glanced in the gas tank and it’s half-full. “Maybe four or five hours, I’m not really sure though. I hope this truck won’t fail us or else I’ll burn this in the desert.”

“Oh God, please don’t Kobra,” Jet Star chuckled. “But I still couldn’t believe it! I really hope we see him immediately.”

“Me too,” said Kobra Kid, gripping the steering wheels tightly. “I miss my brother so much and knowing he’s alive it’s just ––”

Kobra Kid started to shed some tears, but his eyes are still focused on the road. He just let his tears flow in his cheeks.

“And I’m so glad we didn’t give up,” said Fun Ghoul.

-

It’s almost midnight when the Fabulous Killjoys crossed the border between Zones 1 and 2. It was very dark that night and the only sources of light are the few rusty lamp posts in every kilometre and from the stars in the sky. Kobra Kid started to feel tired and drowsy but he tried his best to stay focus and keep his eyes on the road.

So far, their journey is met without any problems and the air inside the truck is filled with complete silence. But even without speaking, each one of them shares the same thought – hopeful to find Party Poison and for the gods out there to not allow any Dracs (or even the Exterminator himself) to appear right at this moment.

The Fabulous Killjoys kept their eyes on the road, looking for any signs of car with the utmost concentration they could give.

“As much as I hate to say this but I’m already tired,” Kobra Kid suddenly announces.

“Maybe we have to resume our search by sunrise,” Jet Star suggested and the other two Kiljoy nodded in agreement.

Kobra drove for another half hour before they found a possible place where they could stay for the night. It’s also perfect since it’s a gasoline-filling station and Kobra hopes that it’s not empty because their car is slowly running out of juice. Beside the gasoline-filling station is an old convenience store. They all agree to sleep inside the store and maybe even look around if they could find any resources or food that they can keep. After Kobra Kid parked the car beside the station, they all jumped out of the truck.

“We’ll stay inside this convenience store until morning. It’s way better to sleep on the floor than outside the Zones. And I’m glad we have our body bags here,” Jet Star tells them, slightly shaking the knapsack back he’s holding.

The Fabulous Killjoys entered the abandoned convenience store. It’s dirty and dusty but at least there’s a nearby lamp post so they could look around the shop. They spent some time first checking out the place for any resources they can use. They found that there’s a restroom but the pipes are not working which made them all groaned in disgust. After a while, Kobra Kid saw some stacks of old magazine behind the from the storage room which they could use as pillows. He tells himself that at least their heads are elevated. On the other hand, Jet Star started to lay down the sleeping bags at the hidden corner of the convenience store. Fun Ghoul is still looking around the shop when he saw something in the floor – a pack of cigarettes. He smiled and was about to reach it when someone suddenly speaks behind him.

“Put your hands up or else I will blow your head off,” the man said coldly.

Fun Ghoul slowly lifted both his arms as a sign of his surrender; his heart’s racing in confusion and fear. He knows there’s a ray gun pointing in his head and he cannot believe how quick the turn of events was. Did the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units finally managed to catch them? And why this time when they finally had a lead where Party Poison is.

Kobra Kid and Jet Star heard that there’s an enemy who threatens to shoot Fun Ghoul. They picked up their ray guns from their holsters, trying their best not to make any noise. They believe the enemy is still not aware that Fun Ghoul is not alone. So the two other Killjoys slowly walked forward, their ray guns ready.

Then they saw the man standing behind Fun Ghoul and they felt their jaw just dropped on the floor, their eyes doubled in size. Without even saying anything, both Kobra Kid and Jet Star slowly dropped their arms. Fun Ghoul turned around, his hands still up. He felt his heart just skipped a beat when he finally saw who is the man behind him and Fun Ghoul knows him very well.

And there he was… the man they’re searching for so long.

“Oh god…” Kobra Kid whispers.

Party Poison is standing right in front of Fun Ghoul.

“I didn’t know we’re having a reunion tonight,” said Party Poison, his ray gun still pointed straight between Fun Ghoul’s eyes. 


	8. Chapter 8

“Will… will you please… _please_ put your ray gun down, Party?” asked Fun Ghoul pleadingly, slowly dropping down both his arms.

The Fabulous Killjoys are looking straight to the man they’d been looking for so long. But Party Poison didn’t even stir upon Fun Ghoul’s request and Party’s gaze is still locked straight at Ghoul’s.

It’s a scenario that the Fabulous Killjoys never expected because instead of finding Party Poison in Zone 1, it was him who found the three of them. It also doesn’t help that they were utterly confused with the situation because the scenario is very wrong – that this prolonged silence and a ray gun pointed straight at Fun Ghoul is something that Party Poison will never do. _But it is Party Poison, in flesh._ He’s wearing his blue Dead Pegasus jacket and a black and red scarf was wrapped around his neck. His arms have patches of motor oil and Ghoul could even smell it from him. Additionally, Ghoul’s close proximity to him allows him to notice that multiple scars made its way to his once smooth and pale arms – and it interests Fun Ghoul and wonders what happened to him during the last four years. His hair is still red and it is much brighter like it’s just been recently dyed and is shorter than it used to be.

During those four years, the Fabulous Killjoys could see that nothing major really changed in Party Poison. It is really him and not some kind of sick hallucination that plays in their minds. And all they wanted to do is to throw their arms around him and let him know and feel how much they longed to see him.

Still pointing his ray gun at Fun Ghoul, Party Poison finally stepped back. He slowly craned his neck, looking first at Kobra Kid and then to Jet Star. Then he returned his gaze at Fun Ghoul before lowering his ray gun, returning it back to his gun holster.

Fun Ghoul swallowed. He could feel drops of his sweat run through his face. Even after Party lowered his ray gun, the Fabulous Killjoys are stuck – they don’t know what to do and there’s still this agonizing and awkward silence between them. And it all ended when suddenly, Party Poison speaks.

“Don’t I get a hug?”

And at that very moment, all the confusion that lingers inside the old and abandoned convenience shop dissipates. Fun Ghoul was about to react when Kobra Kid first charges straight to Party Poison, throwing his arms around him.

“Oh my god, _brother_! We’ve been looking for you for so long! I miss you!” cried Kobra Kid. He started to sob hard, his face buried in the crook of Party’s neck. It took Party Poison seconds before he wrapped his arms around Kobra Kid, smiling slightly.

“Yeah, I miss you too,” said Party Poison, patting Kobra’s back.

“Let him breathe, Kobra,” Jet Star reminded him, grinning.

“Please don’t cry,” Party Poison added.  

“I’m not crying!” Kobra Kid spat back to his brother but ended up muffled as he is still sobbing in Party’s neck.

But as much as Kobra Kid wanted his brother all by himself, he pulled away after a few seconds from his tight embrace before wiping away his tears using the back of his hands. Party Poison then catches Jet Star’s gaze. Jet Star walked over him and pulls him in for a hug.

“I’m so glad to know you survived too,” said Jet Star brightly. “And wow, nothing really had changed to you! We miss you.”

“Really?” said Party Poison, releasing his arms off from Jet Star. “I guess it has something to do with my hair colour.” Party Poison unconsciously runs his hand to his short red hair. Then he looked at Fun Ghoul and who waved awkwardly at him. Fun Ghoul then smiled so brightly back before throwing his arms around him.

“I miss you,” said Fun Ghoul, embracing Party Poison like there’s no tomorrow.

“Yeah, me too, Ghoul. I miss you too,” said Party. “And sorry about what happened earlier.”

Fun Ghoul felt his eyes sting, but he fought all the urges to break down in front of his friends and to the man he loves. A lot of thoughts are running inside his head, each one fighting over which among them is important. And Ghoul wanted to ask Party questions but he knows it is not the right time. He couldn’t believe that _finally_ , their search his over. 

Above all the questions that he wanted to ask Party Poison, Fun Ghoul knows what his priority is. What he wanted to do right now is to kiss him, apologize to all his shortcomings and tell him that he regrets everything that happened back in Station Shack. And if only he can turn back the time, he will save him from Korse no matter what it takes.

For four years, Fun Ghoul was forced to forget everything about Party Poison and how much he loathed himself for allowing that to happened. He regrets what happened at Station Shack; how he wished he never threw Party against the wall and forced him to retract the words he said – that it was over between them. He blames himself acting a selfish asshole and if only he was sensitive to what Party is feeling right that moment, maybe things will be different. Although he knows that he had forgiven him, his heart still aches and he still regrets doing that to him. And the worse part of this is he cannot erase the last image that registered his mind – his lifeless body that he failed to save.

But now here he was – very much alive and it seems nothing had changed. He can’t believe he’s finally embracing the man that filled his thoughts ever since the day he gained his memories back.

He decided that the only thing he wanted to do right now is to kiss him and he doesn’t even care if his brother and his best friend are standing behind him. This is the only way that he can show what he’s feeling.

And so, Fun Ghoul slowly pulled back his arms around Party Poison. It’s been four years since he last saw him and he misses everything about him. He hesitated at first, but then found the courage to execute his plan. Using both his hands, he cupped Party’s face and then he will let himself got lost in his hazel eyes and then kiss him. But when Fun Ghoul’s eyes met Party’s, it felt strange. He felt electrocuted and the way Party Poison looked back at him is so foreign like he doesn’t know him at all. And Fun Ghoul felt sudden fear and submission crept inside his system – Party Poison’s eyes is so alien that Fun Ghoul immediately removed his hands off from him like it just got burned. Fun Ghoul doesn’t care if he just missed the opportunity to kiss him – survival is the only thing that runs inside his head and he couldn’t understand _why_.  

“Is there something wrong, Ghoul?” asked Party Poison curiously, his left brow frowns. Kobra Kid and Jet Star shot Fun Ghoul a quizzical look.

Fun Ghoul immediately shook his head. “No. Everything’s fine,” he lied. At the back of Fun Ghoul’s head, he thought it should be romantic; similar to the scene from a very cheesy old movie. But everything suddenly changed just by looking at Party Poison’s eyes. His instinct told him that he should run away for his own good or he could just submit himself to Party Poison. And it sounds so strange and wonders why he feels that way.

They are still looking back at him which made Fun Ghoul uncomfortable. He mentally shook his head and rationalized that it’s been four years since he last saw Party and maybe it was just a silly mistake on his part – that there’s nothing strange about Party Poison.

And so, Fun Ghoul settled by remembering one by one the beautiful memories they had and he just shrugged off what just happened. He grinned back at them and then he looked at Party’s eyes again – and it was odd because it no longer gives that uncomfortable sensation he just felt earlier. And so, Fun Ghoul is quite sure that it was just a mistake on his part. He can’t help but to sigh, relief flowing inside him that, _yes,_ it was his mistake. Knowing this, he suddenly felt embarrassed and regrets that he pulled away when he already had the opportunity to kiss him. He then felt his cheeks blushed.

“Was there something wrong in my face?” Party Poison asked again. Fun Ghoul shook his head again. Seeing Party’s face again for the first time in four years, he can’t help but to fall in love to him all over again. And what happened moments ago seem so prehistoric in Fun Ghoul’s that he easily forgotten about it.

“Oh, nothing. You’re _pretty_.” Party Poison’s eyes double in size upon hearing it and Fun Ghoul cheeks get even redder and hotter. _‘Why did I say that?’_ Fun Ghoul screamed inside his head.

“I mean, there’s nothing wrong in your face, not like you got some food stuck in your teeth,” Party Poison immediately covered his mouth with his hand and then run his tongue in his teeth.

“No!” Fun Ghoul waved his hand in protest. “There’s nothing stuck in your teeth. Oh god, I should quit talking. I’m just embarrassing myself, aren’t I?”

Kobra Kid and Jet Star chuckled and Fun Ghoul knows he is dead. Party Poison on the other hand just smiled back at him.

“I’m sorry…” Fun Ghoul humbly apologizes in his very low voice, his cheeks flushed and he bet they could see it even though they were inside at a slightly dimmed place.

“It’s all right, Ghoul,” said Party Poison, waving his hand like its nothing.

“So,” Jet Star started, clapping his hands once to get their attention and both Kobra Kid and Party Poison looked back at him. On the other hand, Fun Ghoul is contemplating whether to grab Party Poison’s hand so he can hold it tight and make him feel that there’s no way he will let him go again. 

Jet Star caught how awkward Fun Ghoul was but resisted the temptation to tell Party Poison because it will only embarrass him more. He then looked at Party and asked, “Where have you been at, Party? We’ve looking all over for you around the Zones.”

“I lived mostly in the slums inside Battery City,” answered Party Poison casually. Then, they saw his eyes looked around the place, before he added, “But… I actually don’t remember how I ended up there and I don’t remember a lot of things about me.”

The three Killjoys felt their jaw slightly dropped. Horrorstruck, they couldn’t believe that Party Poison hasn’t fully recovered his memories back unlike them. They tried to imagine how he survived in the slums, all alone and without his memory. Now, they are positive that Party Poison never became an Alpha inside Inner City.

“So that explains the scars in your arms?” Fun Ghoul quickly blurted out, studying his scars thoughtfully. Jet Star and Kobra Kid’s eyes immediately darted at Party Poison exposed skin. Discovering this, they gave him a concerned look.

“Yeah, you can say that,” Party Poison says, his lips trembling and his left hand stroking his right arm where some scars are very visible and bigger. “It was very hard living in the slums, looking around and trying to find you, guys. I really don’t know how long I lived there.”

“But I’m so glad you remember us, brother,” Kobra Kid says softly, his eyes still focused on his brother’s scarred skin and he felt his heart aching.

“Yes I remember you guys and I know we’re the Fabulous Killjoys,” said Party Poison flatly. “It’s hard to explain actually, and I really don’t know where to start.”

“We understand, Party” said Fun Ghoul, gripping Party’s right shoulder firmly. “The three of us experienced that too. Good thing Dr. Death Defying created this drug that will help people regain their memories back.

“Really? That sounds interesting,” said Party Poison, his eyes seems to spark of excitement, but in a mysterious way. “Will it help those who were brainwashed by Better Living Industries gain their memories back?”

“Yes. Fun Ghoul got his memories back using that drug,” Jet Star says and Ghoul nodded in response.

Party Poison’s lips twitched. “So, do you still have the drugs?”

“Sorry, Party but we don’t,” Jet Star answered solemnly. “We returned the bottle back to Stone Peril.”

“And who’s Stone Peril?” asked Party.

“He’s Dr. Death Defying’s spy inside Inner City,” Kobra Kid replied back to his brother.

Party hummed in response. “I see.”

“Maybe it’s the right time to pay Dr. Death’s a visit and asked him for the drug so Party can regain his memories back,” Fun Ghoul suggested, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“That’s an excellent plan, Ghoul!” said Jet Star, giving him a thumb up. Fun Ghoul grinned back.

“So is Grace... Is Grace around?” Party Poison asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Grace? She lives inside Dr. Death Defying’s HQ,” Jet Star answered back.

“That… That’s good to hear,” said Party Poison, beaming at them.

“You know, we should drop by at The Diner and asked Show Pony their coordinates. Show Pony said their HQ is at Zone 4,” Kobra Kid suggested.

“That’s perfect,” said Party Poison. 

“So, we heard you had our Trans Am, Party,” said Jet Star.

“Oh yes!” said Party Poison, slightly scratching the back of his neck. “You see, when I was still living at the slums, I met people who helped me and they’re awesome kind of people. And then one day, we found the Trans Am abandoned besides this very old building. I consider moving in the Zones after I found it, but I know I can’t until I got some possible leads to where you at. And then, I found the courage to finally move back here after I found your Exterminate posters. In all honestly, I’m still uncertain if I can go back here because there’s no way I can possibly protect myself. You see,” Party Poison removed his ray gun from its holster, “this ray gun is actually a toy. This is the famous Party Poison 1:1 yellow ray gun toy that Better Living Industries are selling so cheap for 5 Carbons.”

“What?” the three killjoys yelped in unison, startled to Party’s confession. Party just grinned back at them.

“I lived in the slums, how am I supposed to get a real ray gun, huh?”

“What the hell, Party?” Fun Ghoul raises his eyebrow in sheer disbelief. “So what was that earlier?”

“I know it was you, Fun Ghoul. But if I will make an entrance, I believe I should be creative.”

“Party!” Fun Ghoul spat back.

“Yeah, sorry about what happened earlier. I just drive around in the Zones, raiding and looking for you, guys. And I just run or hide away when I saw Dracs.”

“You’re crazy, brother. But I’m just glad you’re safe,” said Kobra Kid, throwing his arms around Party again. Party Poison yawned.

“Oh, maybe we should rest already since its kinda late,” Kobra Kid suggested, pulling his arms away from the hug.

Jet Star started to walk behind the empty shelves and the other three Killjoys followed suit. Party Poison looked around the room again. “So, I already set the body bags behind. But there’s only three… I could give mine to you if ––”

“No, that’s alright,” Party Poison immediately interrupted, rejecting Jet Star’s offer. “It’s fine. I could just sleep in the corner.”

“Just use mine,” Fun Ghoul suggested and won’t take no for an answer.

“I’m fine,” Party Poison protested. “Seriously, don’t  worry about me.

“No Party. Please use mine,” Fun Ghoul insisted, leaving his body bag on the floor. He found a good spot a few steps just away from them and sat down.

Party Poison sighed. “My god, Ghoul. I guess I really have no choice but to accept your offer.”

Fun Ghoul grinned at him and watches Party Poison settled inside the body bag. Ghoul can’t help but to smile sincerely, until he just felt something warm flow in his cheeks which he immediately wiped it using the back of his hands. As he watches his friend slowly drift away to sleep, he felt his eyes started to shut.

-

The sun is up in the forsaken land when Fun Ghoul awoke from his deep slumber. Rubbing both his eyes, he felt sharp pain in his neck and shoulders. But it doesn’t surprise Ghoul anymore because he always wakes up having them, but it doesn’t mean it is not painful and bothersome. He yawned and looked around before his eyes drifted to his friends. He saw Party Poison sleeping peacefully beside his brother Kobra Kid; some strands of his red hair sticking in his cheeks. Jet Star and Kobra Kid are still asleep.

Fully decided not to disturbed them, Fun Ghoul moved quietly with a sole intention of watching Party Poison up close. He sat beside him and watches how his chest rise and fall with his every breath. Party is breathing silently and his mouth slightly opened. Thoughts from last night started to run inside his head again, and now he is having an internal battle in his brain if he should touch his face. And it doesn’t last long because Fun Ghoul found his right hand cupping Party’s, his thumb caressing his cheeks.

He can’t help but to feel overwhelmed, his heart racing with joy. He then removed strands of his red hair and tucks it behind his ear before slowly caressing his hair. Party Poison didn’t even stir, and Fun Ghoul felt he can do more than just touching his face.

And so, Fun Ghoul slowly leaned his head down, his eyes closed and kissed Party Poison’s lips.  

But he immediately pulled back and saw that Party is still asleep. Ghoul breathe a sigh of relief that he didn’t wake Party up.

Suddenly, Fun Ghoul’s eyes darted to Party’s neck and he could see a scar below his chin. Ghoul is quite sure where Party got that because he also has the same scar made by a ray gun in his chest.

“You know he’ll freak out if he found out that you’re watching him sleep.”

“Fuck!” Fun Ghoul almost choked and saw that it was Jet Star. Jet Star rubs his eyes using his left hand while his right arm supports his weight as he slowly push his body up and sat down.  Fun Ghoul flushes hard, his cheeks and ears are red. He wonders if Star saw him kissed Party.

“I’m sorry,” Jet Star says but not really apologetic, “But it was cute.”

“Star!” Fun Ghoul hisses and Jet Star just chuckled.

Then they heard Kobra Kid groaned, waking up slowly. After a few seconds, he slowly sat up.

“What happened? Did I miss something?” asked Kobra Kid, rubbing his eyes.

“Nothing, Kobra. Go back to sleep,” Fun Ghoul immediately replied back, not giving Jet Star a chance to blab what he just did to Party’s brother.

“No, I won’t. You’re not my mom,” Kobra Kid whispered when he realized that Party is still asleep.

They lapsed into an awkward silence but the three of them knows that they don’t want to wake Party Poison up. Fun Ghoul saw Jet Star and Kobra Kid both committing what he is doing earlier – watching Party Poison sleep. Although no one would admit it out loud, the three Killjoys are thrilled and overjoyed that finally, Party Poison is back with them.

But the silence is immediately interrupted when they heard noises outside. The three Killjoys immediately stood up and Fun Ghoul sprinted towards to door. His eyes widened in shocked at the sight of two white S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W vehicles coming in their direction.

Fun Ghoul dashed back, his heart racing in fear. “Guys, we’re cornered here. There are two vehicles outside. What are we going to do?”

“Prepare to shoot,” Jet Star ordered firmly, pulling out his blue ray gun from his gun holster.

“Shall we wake Party up?” Kobra Kid asked, gripping his ray gun tightly. Party Poison is still asleep, unaware of the threat that’s coming.

“No,” Fun Ghoul immediately suggested. “He doesn’t have a ray gun. We need to fight the Dracs outside and make sure no one will enter. I’ll stand near the glass door; the two of you just aim at the other Dracs. We’re the Fabulous Killjoys and there’s no way they can defeat us – not that we already found Party. We need to protect him until we got into Dr. Death’s place.

“Alright, let’s move,” said Jet Star sprinting outside the shop and Kobra Kid followed him. Fun Ghoul shot Party a quick glance, his face looked so innocent that it pains Ghoul to leave him alone.

Fun Ghoul shook his head and mentally reminding himself to pull his shit together. He then dashed outside and saw that both Kobra Kid and Jet Star are shooting their ray guns towards the Dracs. He tried to count them all and _fuck_ , they are outnumbered. His heart beating fast and his mouth went dry. Ghoul couldn’t believe the sudden turned of events. Then two Dracs started to charge towards him. He immediately pulled the trigger of his ray gun but missed. He ran sideways, trying his best not to get shot. He shoots again and finally, he dusted one who’s standing near the glass door. Laser beam are shooting from all direction and Ghoul tried his best to duck and avoid them.

“ _Shit!_ ” Fun Ghoul dived, rolling over the sandy grounds as Dracs shoot at him. _“Shit, shit, shit!”_ he curses again when he realized that he was already far away from the door he’s guarding earlier. He tried to run back but the Dracs just keep on charging towards him, not allowing him to go back.

“Kobra!” Fun Ghoul shouted back but the Killjoy he just called is busy running and shooting too. “ _Shit!_ ” Fun Ghoul had to let them know that no one is guarding the door. Then a laser beam almost hit him in his face but he was fast dodging it. He rolled again before shooting the Drac who almost hit him in his face. Dusted.

Fun Ghoul knows that he couldn’t go back to his original post and so he tried to throw quick glances at the glass door if some Dracs are entering. The heaven seems to be in their favour because the Dracs are only charging towards them and it seems that the enemy doesn’t know that there’s another Killjoy inside who’s very much vulnerable. Fun Ghoul decided that if he cannot go back to his original post, he’ll just put all the Dracs’ attention to him and dust them one by one.

Fun Ghoul shot them one by one but he always missed because the Dracs keeps on shooting back at him. The good thing was he is agile enough to duck, roll and run to avoid the laser beam. But he is started to get worried because if this keeps on going, he will only tire himself out.

Then he saw Party Poison slowly walking outside the shop. While dodging the laser beams, Fun Ghoul saw him picked up a white ray gun from the ground which appears to be owned by the Drac he dusted moments again. He watches as Party Poison started to walk towards their enemy and Dracs started to charge towards him.

“Party!” Fun Ghoul yelled.

He saw Party Poison as he slowly walk towards the enemy, his ray gun pointed to the Dracs but not shooting. Then, the Dracs suddenly stopped running towards him. It appears that the Dracs feet seemed to freeze in their place and their ray guns suddenly slip off from their hands. Fun Ghoul watches the scene and couldn’t explain what in the world is happening.

The Dracs started to fall into their knees, shaking their heads and it appears they are asking to be spared. But Party Poison pulled the trigger straight to the Dracs head without showing any signs of hesitation. And then when Party lifted his ray gun again, pointing it straight to another Drac, that Drac fall into his knees before Party shoot his head twice. The other Draculoids noticed what just happened and they immediately dropped their ray guns, the others kneeling on the ground while some returned to their vehicle, escaping away. The Dracs that remained were dusted by Party Poison one by one, pressing his ray gun in the Dracs forehead before shooting twice.

And Fun Ghoul saw it again – the same eyes he saw from last night. He felt his knees shaking, forcing it to kneel down before him. And that same fear from last night started to crept through his mind and heart again as he looked at Party Poison’s eyes, his face showing no emotion.


	9. Chapter 9

It was like everything in the world just stopped moving.

Fear made his knees continue to shake and he could almost hear how the tiny pebbles grind against his shoes, vibrating. And the way he looked into his eyes, Fun Ghoul felt a terrible, soul-shattering chill.

Something is wrong in Party Poison and Fun Ghoul cannot dismiss it anymore.  And just describing him and putting it into words is enough to make him throw up.

His face is cold and evil.

The scene how he just pulled the trigger and dusted all the Dracs one by one keeps on playing inside his head and its magnitude is enough to make Fun Ghoul fear for his dear life. And Fun Ghoul could see through his eyes – the way Party Poison look back demands everyone to submit themselves to him like a king – no, he is like a god. 

Fun Ghoul watches as his friend, Kobra Kid rushes towards Party Poison. He wanted to shout and warn him – stop him if necessary, but he didn’t find the courage and words to say. He’s still hesitating and in denial, because he doesn’t want to believe it happened. He wanted to believe that his judgment is misleading him. He asks himself if fear is just tricking him to think that it is not Party Poison but a completely different person.

He watches as Kobra Kid threw his arms around his brother. Party Poison reciprocated, much to Fun Ghoul’s surprise.

“Are you alright, Ghoul?” asked Jet Star, concern evident in his eyes. He didn’t notice that Jet Star was on his side. “What the fuck just happened?”

Fun Ghoul knees are weak, glaze of sweat slowly dripping from his forehead. Jet Star and Ghoul’s distance is enough to exchange message without Party or Kobra hearing them. “I don’t know, Jet Star… I don’t know…”

“Hey guys!” Kobra Kid calls, waving his hands enthusiastically at them while Party Poison is smiling brightly. Fun Ghoul’s eyes widen, shocked to see that Party’s eyes now looked so kind and innocent and it only made Ghoul questioned and challenged all his earlier assumptions.

He couldn’t reconcile in his mind the two different persona of Party Poison – kind eyes and always smiling and the one he knows never belongs to him. He doesn’t want to believe what he just saw earlier because it will only justify his suspicion that it is not Party Poison.

Fun Ghoul feels his brain might explode anytime soon. But he doesn’t care if that will happen in a literal sense because the only thing that is important to him is what his heart is telling him.

And for the second time, Fun Ghoul is turning a blind eye.

“Hey,” said Fun Ghoul, sporting a fake smile. He softly rubs his chest, heart still beating fast. He looked back at Party Poison who’s still smiling back at them.

Kobra Kid and Party Poison jubilantly walked towards them. “Are you all right, Ghoul?” asked Party Poison, concerned.

“Yeah, I’m OK. Thanks,” Fun Ghoul lied, faking a pant. “Just got tired I guess? Too much running and ducking.”

Kobra Kid giggled which earned him an elbow to his stomach by his brother.

“Aren’t we forgetting something here?” Jet Star interjected, frowning at Party Poison. “What the hell just happened, Party? What did you do?”

Party Poison raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean, Star? I just dusted ––”

“I know you dusted them, Party. I’m not blind. But why does the Dracs reacted that way when they saw you?”

“I… I don’t understand what you are saying, Star,” said Party Poison, looking back at the three killjoys innocently.

“Ghoul saw it too!” said Jet Star, looking at Fun Ghoul sharply.

Fun Ghoul looked at Jet Star, slowly shaking his head. “No, I don’t. What are you talking about, Jet Star?”

“Huh?” Jet Star looked at Fun Ghoul, disbelief written across his face. He turned his look at Party Poison and said, “The Dracs just fall in their knees when they saw you!” Jet Star now holding Party Poison’s shoulder tightly that the grip of his hands hurt him. “Then the other’s escaped! That’s not normal, Party! And Fun Ghoul saw it too!”

Party Poison winced. “You’re hurting me, Jet Star.” Fun Ghoul continues to shake his head in response.

“Stop it, Jet Star!” said Kobra Kid, aggressively removing Jet Star’s grip from his brother. “I believed the other Dracs just run away to report back that they saw my brother is alive.”

“Kobra is right, Star. And besides, I didn’t see anything strange that happened,” explained Fun Ghoul, still choosing to deny what he just witnessed.

“I’m really sorry Star. I really don’t know what you are talking about,” said Party Poison, his voice breaking and strained with distressed.

Jet Star sighed annoyingly, defeated. “No. I should be the one who apologize, Party.”

“That’s alright, Star,” said Party Poison, pulling Star for a hug but Jet Star hesitated but hugs him back, awkwardly.

Fun Ghoul looked at Jet Star and he could see it in his eyes that the conversation is not over. The only thing that Ghoul can do is to mentally apologize to Star for not backing him up. He just care so much for Party Poison, and maybe, love is truly blind.

-

Fun Ghoul was correct.

They wasted no time after the attack and drove to The Diner right away. They contacted Show Pony who expressed his excitement upon learning they have found Party Poison (which is incorrect because it’s the other way around, but Fun Ghoul made no protest). Show Pony happily gave them the HQ coordinates, stressing all over again for the Fabulous Killjoys to be careful.

Jet Star stayed away from Party Poison the whole time, throwing him sharp looks which only made Party uncomfortable. Kobra Kid keeps on rolling his eyes, annoyed and just don’t understand why Jet Star act that way towards to his brother.

Given that the Fabulous Killjoys had two vehicles, Jet Star drives the truck with Fun Ghoul while Party Poison drives the Trans Am with his brother on the passenger seat. It appears that Jet Star knows how to effectively navigate in the Zones and volunteered. Jet Star told Kobra Kid to tell his brother to just follow him.

They were driving for more than an hour in complete silence and Fun Ghoul is absolutely fine with it. He doesn’t have any intention to discuss what just happened but Jet Star seems to favor the opposite.

“You feel it, didn’t you, Fun Ghoul?” Jet Star started, not looking at Fun Ghoul, his eyes focused on the road.

“What?” Fun Ghoul replies flatly, but very much aware what Jet Star is talking about.

“I can’t explain it, but suddenly I felt scared of _him_.  There’s this fear in the air––”

“Shut up, Jet Star,” Fun Ghoul spat back. “No. I didn’t feel it. There’s…. there’s nothing wrong, OK? You’re just imagining it.”

“What? Are you serious?” asked Jet Star, throwing Fun Ghoul a look of disbelief.

“Yes, I’m serious Jet Star,” said Fun Ghoul.

“Are you going to deny what just happened? He just dusted them one by one, showing no signs of remorse.”

“And aren’t we doing the same thing, huh, Star?” Fun Ghoul pointed out, rolling his eyes. “What are we going to do, ask the Drac first if we can dust them out of courtesy? You’re out of your mind.”

“OK, OK, you have a fucking point. But didn’t you see how each one of them just surrenders to him?”

“And that made our job easier, thank you very much.”

“You’re deluded, Ghoul. You’re letting your love to Party make you blind.”

“Excuse me?” said Fun Ghoul, exasperated. “Isn’t he your best friend?”

“Yes he is!” Jet Star argues. “But it is not the same Party Poison that we used to know!”

“Wow, big words, Star!” said Fun Ghoul raising his voice. “Aren’t we forgetting something here? That it’s been four years since we last saw him. And didn’t he say he lived in the slums? I couldn’t imagine the horrors he’d been through, surviving...”

“But what if BL did something to him?” Jet Star countered back.

“And didn’t BL do something to us, too?” Fun Ghoul pointed out angrily.

Jet Star rolls his eyes. “It’s not the same, Ghoul! What I’m trying to say here is maybe he is one of them.”

“Bullshit!” Fun Ghoul shouted back and he’s on the verge of forgetting any respect he had for Jet Star. “And now you’re accusing him? My god, Star what’s wrong with you? Didn’t he dusted our enemies earlier? If he is one of them, then I supposed we all should be dead by now. He could just steal one of our ray guns last night and kill us all while we’re asleep.”

“I don’t know, Ghoul. Something is fucked up here,” said Jet Star, his voice resigned.

“You’re talking about your brain, Jet Star” Fun Ghoul replied back, not caring if his words will hurt Jet Star.

Jet Star sighed heavily, “Are you sure you didn’t feel that fear earlier?”

“That conversation is over, Jet Star. No, I don’t,” Fun Ghoul said firmly, his eyebrows furrowing in disgust.

“I would just like to remind you that my gut feeling always gives us the right answer.”

“Wow, Jet Star. Ever heard about humility? I believe you badly needed some right now,” said Fun Ghoul and Jet Star could detect heavy sarcasm in his voice.

“OK, OK… Sheesh! But I couldn’t just forget what I just felt earlier. There’s no way I could forget that fear, and never in my life had I felt that before.” 

“Quit it, Jet Star!” Ghoul spat back and he could feel his anger near at explosive point. “You’re just imagining it. What do I need to tell you to make you believe that there’s nothing wrong about Party Poison?”

“I really don’t think he’s Party Poison,” said Jet Star with certainty.

“SHUT UP!” Fun Ghoul bellowed. Jet Star looked at him, stunned. “Take it back! He’s Party! I saw his scar below his chin!”

“But isn’t that kind of shot fatal ––”

 “WHAT? You want him dead, Jet Star?” his voice dripping with rage. “What kind of a friend are you?”

“I’m sorry… I don’t mean it that way––”

“Yes you do, you motherfucker! Stop this car, Jet Star! I had enough.”

“No, I won’t,” said Jet Star firmly, grabbing Fun Ghoul’s left arm, stopping him. “Fun Ghoul, I’m very sorry I ––”

“If you don’t, I’ll jump and I will blame you if I break any of my bones for the rest of my life,” Fun Ghoul threatens.

“OK, OK. I’m really sorry, Fun Ghoul.”

Jet Star slowed the car. The Trans Am behind them slowed in tandem. Jet Star stopped the truck and Fun Ghoul immediately jumped out without saying any word and slamming the door hard that it could almost break. He walked back to the Trans Am who stopped behind the truck.

“What happened, Fun Ghoul?” asked Kobra Kid, concerned. “Why did Jet Star stopped?”

“Nothing, Kobra. Can we switch? I just don’t like to see Jet Star––”

“Are the two of you fighting?” Party Poison interrupted.

“Please, Kobra?” Fun Ghoul pleaded, completely ignoring Party’s question.

Kobra Kid sighed, “Alright.”

Kobra Kid jumped out of the Trans Am and started to march towards the other vehicle. Fun Ghoul took the passenger seat, not even looking at Party Poison. The truck started to drive again and Party Poison followed suit.

“What happened, Ghoul?” Party Poison inquires.

“Nothing…” said Fun Ghoul, reluctant to confess anything.

“There’s _something_ ,” Party pointing out the obvious. “You looked grumpy.”

Fun Ghoul rolls his eyes. “No I don’t.”

“Uh, yes you are.”

“It’s just a small misunderstanding, Party,” Fun Ghoul tells, sighing. He really doesn’t want to talk about it.

“Is it about me?” asked Party Poison critically, throwing a quick glance at Fun Ghoul.

Fun Ghoul raises an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“I could tell, Ghoul,” Party Poison said, his voice defeated. “The way Jet Star look at me, it’s different.”

“No. It’s not your fault that Jet Star is delusional,” Fun Ghoul tells, quite sure that badmouthing Jet Star will do absolutely nothing. “He says there’s something wrong about you and I got mad, I guess…”

“Oh, I see,” said Party Poison, his voice low and defeated.

“But there’s nothing wrong––”

“That’s all right, Ghoul. I’m not mad and I don’t have any intention to defend myself to Star if he feels that I act weird. Star is entitled to his own opinion. And it’s been four years and here I am… suddenly I appeared in your life. I guess a lot just changed...”

“Don’t say it that way, Party,” said Fun Ghoul, giving Party assurance. “We are a team and we need you. That’s why we looked everywhere for you. Hey, didn’t we tell you we got stuck inside Inner City as lab rats by BL? So technically, it’s not four years. Actually, it felt like those four years never even happened because we’re brainwashed, so those year doesn’t count.”

“What it feels like living there? At Inner City?” Party inquires.

“Hmm… Boring as hell,” said Fun Ghoul, leaning forward in his seat, shuffling a little bit to make his self comfortable. “And I always feel that I’m so stupid for not remembering things about me. Good thing we escaped. I really don’t want to live in that perfect community where––”

“Tell me, Ghoul. Why don’t you like to be part of that?” Party cuts in.

Looking at Party, Fun Ghoul raises an eyebrow, bemused. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Can you help me?”

Fun Ghoul surveyed Party’s eyes for a moment, worried. He wonders why the sudden change of his tone. “I don’t understand, Party. Is there something wrong?”

“Will you help me if I told you?” Party Poison asked.

“Yeah… Absolutely,” said Fun Ghoul, still have no idea what’s Party Poison is about to say.

“Please help me understand, Ghoul. I feel I just lost all the reason why I’m fighting Better Living Industries,” Party confesses.

“What? You wanted me to tell you why we are against them?” Fun Ghoul repeated, still looking at Party’s eyes.

Party nodded. “Yes.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but this has something to do with the fact that you haven’t gained your memories back, right?”

“I… I’m not sure… I don’t know? Maybe?” said Party Poison quietly.

Fun Ghoul was silent for a moment. He thinks that it makes sense that Party Poison questions things since he doesn’t fully gained his memories back. “OK. I’ll try,” said Fun Ghoul thoughtfully. “What’s your question again?”

“Why don’t you like to be part of that perfect community?”

“Do you want to live in a perfect community?”

“I thought you’re going to answer my question, not the other way around.”

“Hmm... OK… because humans are not supposed to live inside a perfect community.” Fun Ghoul answered nonchalantly. “We are not built to live in that world, Party. Our world might be ugly but it doesn’t mean it is not worth living in it. And BL operates first by removing our freewill. They brainwashed us to follow what they tell us but we know what they say is not absolute – actually, it will never be absolute no matter how hard they try to force us to follow them. Because you know what, one way or another, we will have to break their rules and regulations. And that’s alright because if you’re going to think about it, the choices that we made in our life – good or bad only shows that we have freedom. And if the choices that we made in our life go against us, at least we still have our freewill. When BL started to operate in this world, we are left with only one choice – join them and that’s bullshit. That’s basically saying we don’t have freedom to choose what’s best for us.”

“But if the world is perfect, then there’s no war, no one will suffer, and everyone will be happy and––”

“And that’s bullshit,” Fun Ghoul interrupted. “I won’t exchange my freedom for that.

“What do you mean to say, Ghoul?”

“What I’m trying to say is there’s no way a perfect world is possible. Following BL blindly means you just lose your freedom but they got it wrong because we will search for it, no matter what. So in the end, people will continue to find ways to destroy BL so they will become free. And when you’re free, you can dream, you can love, and you can strive to become a better person. And isn’t that what we’re doing?”

Party Poison was silent, but Fun Ghoul could see that he’s trying his best to understand what he just said.  “ _When you’re free, you can dream, you can love, and you can strive to become a better person…_ I like that, Ghoul.”

Fun Ghoul flushes then tells, “And for BL, emotions except for happiness only bring inefficiency in life and that’s stupid. There’s a lot to learn and discover from other emotion, not just happiness. You cry, you get mad, you fall in love… those things will teach us a lot about who we really are. And our differences are what makes the world colorful, and not just black and white.”

“You know what, Ghoul? Emotions baffle me,” Party Poison confesses. “To be specific, your love baffles me.”

Fun Ghoul raises an eyebrow at Party. “Huh?”

“I mean, after all those years, you still love me. Why? Even after they made you forget…”

Fun Ghoul swallowed. “Wait… You remember us, right?” he said, looking at Party Poison intently, waiting for his response.

“Yes, I remember, Ghoul.… But I don’t feel love and it’s strange. Love is a strange thing.”

“I… I don’t know? Don’t worry about it. I promise we will help you gain your memories. And I guess that’s just how love is? It supposed to be strange,” Fun Ghoul then chuckled. “I really don’t know how to define love using words, but I guess it is better to feel it to let you know what it is. And even after all those years, I can still feel it deep inside me.”

“And what are you doing right now, Ghoul, you’re choosing to believe in me rather than Jet Star because of love?”

Fun Ghoul chuckled again. “I think it’s completely different. But now that you mentioned it, I know I should apologize to Jet Star because there’s no need to choose between the two of you. I just stand up for what I believe in. And I almost forgot that it’s normal to argue. But if I’m going to be honest with you, there’s something different about you.”

“Huh? What do mean about that?”

“Your actions… It’s not like the old Party Poison that I know… But your heart, it’s still the same,” said Fun Ghoul, waving his hand in the air as he try to explain it.

“I don’t understand…”

“Trust me. We don’t need to understand things right away. We just feel it, recognize it and just move forward. And along the way, we’ll find the reasons why.”

“Now I know why you’re so special…” said Party Poison softly.

Fun Ghoul frowns, “Huh? Me special?”

“Nothing. Just forget what I just said.”

Fun Ghoul shrugged. “All right, if that’s what you said.”

They lapsed in complete silence in a while before Fun Ghoul kissed Party Poison’s cheeks. Without saying any word, Party Poison smiled at Fun Ghoul, and it’s a smile that Ghoul knows really belongs to Party Poison.

-

It was already dark when they arrived at Dr. Death Defying’s headquarters in Zone 4.

Dr. Death Defying’s HQ is way different from other communities the Fabulous Killjoys had been to – Fun Ghoul guesses that it is not actually a community. The gates are made of steel and there were no tents that litter the ground. Instead, there’s an old building and Fun Ghoul is quite sure it used to be a hospital before. The Fabulous Killjoys didn’t have to provide any password – they just knocked on the metal door which was opened by an unnamed guard who’s beaming back at them.

They were ushered inside the building by the same man whom no one among the Killjoys attempted to ask for his name. There was still a lingering silence between the Fabulous Killjoys and Fun Ghoul caught Party Poison throwing Jet Star awkward glances but Jet Star pretends not to see it. 

Once inside, they didn’t expect that there are only few people around, unlike in other communities where rebels are almost everywhere and are in groups. They walked a few meters before they heard a loud stomping of feet, growing even louder as the unknown approaches the Fabulous Killjoys.

“GUYS!”

“Grace!” Jet Star calls back.

Grace throws her arms around Jet Star, hugging him tight. The other Fabulous Killjoys eyes widen – Grace’s brown hair is very short but still bushy, her face has cute freckles across her cheeks and nose but her smile is still the same. Behind her is a black cat who keeps on moving in between her legs.

“I’m so glad you’re back,” Grace sobs in joy, hugging Jet Star tightly. “We miss you…”

“We miss you too, Grace,” said Jet Star, smiling. Grace released her arms around him, wiping her tears using the back of her hand. She then turned her gaze to Party Poison.

“Party!” Grace throws her whole body to Party Poison which made them fall in the ground. Grace continues to embrace Party but it took Party some seconds before he hugs Grace back. Smiling, Party said, “I’m so happy to see you, Grace.”

“Me too, Party… Me too.”

Kobra Kid chuckles. He’s about to help Party and Grace stand up when they heard the black cat hisses loudly, looking straight at Party Poison like it’s about to attack him.  

Grace released her arms around Party. “Quit it, Max!” Grace shooed the black cat away.

Party Poison stood up. Grace returned her gaze to the two Killjoy, hugging Kobra Kid first then Fun Ghoul.

“So where’s Dr. Death and Show Pony?” asked Jet Star.

“They’re not here,” said Grace breathlessly. “They’ll be back probably by tomorrow morning. They had to meet with other rebels. I guess it had something to do with Velocity’s gang.”

“So we’ll just see them tomorrow morning then,” said Jet Star comfortably.

“Yep.”

“So what’s exactly is this place, Grace?” asked Party Poison, his eyes wandering around, a curious frown wrinkling his brow.  

“You can say that this is the main headquarters and rebels come and go here regularly,” said Grace who started to walk and the Fabulous Killjoys followed. “Lots of stuff happened here, like there’s an area to treat wounded rebels, there’s a computer room, then there’s a laboratory at the top floor where they create pills…”

“Hey, speaking of pills… Can we have the same pills that helped me gained my memories back?” asked Fun Ghoul, stopping. Grace turned around to look at him.

“Yes sure. But we have to ask Dr. Death first. Why?”

“Party needs it,” Kobra Kid replied back.

Grace raised her right eyebrow. “You mean to say––”

“Yes,” said Fun Ghoul quickly. “He still hasn’t regained all his memories back.”

“Oh I see,” said Grace, giving Party a concerned look. Party Poison gave her a small smile. “I’ll ask Dr. Death first thing in the morning, alright?”

“Thanks Grace,” said Party Poison.

They started to walk again. “So I guess you’re all tired, right? We have several empty rooms here where you can stay for a while,” Grace offered

“Wow, I miss sleeping in a proper bed,” Kobra Kid commented, smile painted in his face.

“Me too,” Fun Ghoul agreed.

 -

Grace provided the Fabulous Killjoys four small rooms in which they rejected at first, telling her that they don’t need individual rooms and they can settle in only one room. Grace protested, saying that it’s fine and she knows they needed rest after a month of Zonerunning.

But Fun Ghoul had others plan running inside his head. Once he was sure that everyone settled in their rooms, he sneaked out; locating Party Poison’s room which he was sure is located at the very end of the corridor. He breathed aloud then shook his arms first to release the tension in his chest before knocking at Party Poison’s door.

After knocking a few times, Party finally opened his door.

“Ghoul?”  said Party, rubbing his eyes.

Fun Ghoul stared at Party Poison who’s only wearing sleeveless black shirt and his brown pants. “Sorry. Did I wake you up?” said Ghoul apologetically.

“Hmm… Not really… Why?” Party replied back, yawning.

“Can I come in?” asked Ghoul, his cheeks flushed.

“Oh, sure,” said Party, opening the door widely, hand gesturing that Fun Ghoul can come in. “Why? Can’t sleep?”

His room is basically the exact replica of Fun Ghoul’s. There’s one bed pushed in the right corner, a small window and a table.

“Yeah,” Fun Ghoul lied, scratching the back of his neck. “Uh… Is it fine if I sleep here?”

“What?” Party asked, his eyebrow slightly frowning. “But there’s only one bed and––”

“We can share?” offered Fun Ghoul immediately.

“Oh, OK,” said Party Poison casually. He climbed on his bed, occupying the right side, just providing enough space for Fun Ghoul. Fun Ghoul sat down, removing his vest and boots before lying beside Party. Party Poison arm is behind his head, and his gaze fixated at the ceiling.

“Thanks, Party,” said Fun Ghoul, smiling which Party Poison didn’t see. “I guess I just missed those nights when we’re together.”

“It’s alright,” said Party.

“Hey…”

“Hmmm…”

“I remember you told me you don’t remember the feeling of love, am I right?” said Fun Ghoul, turning his head to look at Party’s face. Party is still looking in the ceiling.

“Yes.”

“You know, I’m actually excited for tomorrow… I want to be there when you gain your memories back.”

Party looked at Fun Ghoul and their eyes met. It was different from last night – it was sweet, comforting and kind. Party Poison smiled, “Even though I don’t remember that feeling, I know that you’re special.”

Fun Ghoul flushes hard.

He slowly moves his head forward until his lips met Party’s. Fun Ghoul mutters, “Thank you…”

Fun Ghoul held Party’s hand tightly, breathing slowly as he drifts to sleep, smiling.

-

But little did Fun Ghoul know that he will wake up the next morning alone.

-

“Hey Grace… Wake up…” said Party Poison, shaking Grace violently.

Grace rubbed her eyes. She slowly sat down, blinking twice before Party Poison registered in her brain. Grace furrows her eyebrow in annoyance before she realized that Party Poison is holding his white ray gun, aiming it straight at her head.

Grace’s eyes then widen in shock, not understanding what is happening. “What are you doing, Party?”

Party Poison is smiling devilishly back at Grace, “Oh, I’m just doing what my people should have done four years ago.”

Still shocked, she said, “I don’t understand, Party…”

“ _You’re special_ , _don’t you remember?”_ said Party Poison softly, his smile even wider now which only made Grace uncomfortable. “Didn’t your friends almost die to save you?”

“But… Why Party––”

Then Grace’s cat started to hiss at Party Poison. Party Poison rolls his eyes before shooting the cat with his raygun, killing him.  

“Max!” Grace yelped and utterly shocked what Party just done. Party Poison quickly put the muzzle of his ray gun inside her mouth, not allowing her to make any noise. Grace froze in fear, tears started to freely flow from her eyes.

“You should keep your mouth shut if you don’t want me to kill you right here. You’re gonna come with me or I’ll kill everyone in this building. Do you understand?”

Grace nervously nodded her head in agreement. She really had no choice.

“Great.” Party removed his gun from her mouth but still pointing it at Grace.

“You’re not Party…”

“Of course I am Party Poison, the leader of the Fabulous Killjoys.”

“No, you’re not… Party will not do this…”

“OK you have a point, pumpkin,” said Party Poison and it was evident he is quite pleased on how things are going well according to his plan. “Party Poison died four years ago saving you, right? But he didn’t really die. Let’s just say that they modified him and now we’re sharing one body but unfortunately for him, I’m in total control.”

“I don’t understand…”

“Of course pumpkin, you won’t understand. There’s something in you I need to extract and so you’ll come with me whether you like it or not.”

“Wait… Are you the Strategist?”

“Bingo!” said Party Poison in a sing-song tone. “I didn’t expect you’ll figure out who am I, pumpkin. But I don’t like people calling me that… I prefer the other name they call me… It’s actually the project code they used when they modified this body.”

Party Poison moved closer and Grace jolted in fear. He moved his mouth closer to her ear and whispered.  

“Just call me Zero.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...hence the real title.  
> ...and let's just say that he's a manipulative kind of evil.


	10. Chapter 10

_“…open this door…”_

Fun Ghoul was aware that someone is knocking at the door and only god knows how long that person was standing behind it. But he just doesn’t care – he’s too damn sleepy. Fun Ghoul moaned before tossing around and buried his face against his pillow.

His laziness wins out, and besides it’s too early yet. Whoever that person was, Fun Ghoul hopes he would understand why he doesn’t want to be bother at this ungodly hour of the day. He believes he deserves an uninterrupted sleep after weeks of sleeping in uncomfortable places in the Zones.

_“…oh god, please, open this door!”_

“It’s too early for this shit…” Fun Ghoul said to himself. Aside from knocking, the man behind the door now rattles the door knob and it’s getting annoying and totally disrespectful. He would gladly open the door if he felt the warmth of the sun started to pierce through the room.

_“FUCK! GHOUL! OPEN THIS GODDAMN DOOR RIGHT NOW!”_

Ghoul jolted awake, now unsure what in the world is happening. But whatever it is, he can only guess that it might be important and he knows he cannot ignore it anymore. He then tossed around, rubbing his eyes.

“Hey Party, can you _please_ open the door?” Fun Ghoul murmured, but loud enough to be heard by the man he believes is sleeping beside him.

But no one answered.

Fun Ghoul slowly sat up. Yawning loudly, he looked at his side and expecting to see Party Poison.

But he’s alone.

Fun Ghoul scratches his head, “ _Huh?_ ” He then wonders where Party is. He surveyed the room quickly and saw that Party’s blue Dead Pegasus jacket is still at the table. Ghoul thought that maybe he just went to the bathroom.

_“GHOUL! OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR!”_

Fun Ghoul realized the voice that it was Jet Star. “Alright, alright, I’m coming!” he shouted back.

Yawning again, Ghoul got to his feet, stretched his arms and opened the door. He’s about to say something when Jet Star bolted inside, his shoulders hitting Ghoul’s that its impact made him stepped back.

“Hey what’s––”

Jet Star stormed inside and Fun Ghoul could see his eyes burning with fury. He then walked abruptly inside the room, his head snapping in random places looking for something. Then his eyes fell in Party’s jacket and in a flash he picked it up, shaking it violently. Fun Ghoul watches, perplexed what Star is doing. When Jet Star found nothing from it, he slammed Party’s leather jacket in their unmade bed.

“OK, seriously Jet Star, what the fuck?” asked Ghoul, thoroughly confused why Jet Star is acting that way. Jet Star then appears not to hear him.

“Oh god, no…”Jet Star murmured; both his hands holding his head and trying desperately to think straight.

“Is there something wrong? Why are you looking for Party?” asked Fun Ghoul, raising his eyebrow questioningly.

Jet Star refused to look at Fun Ghoul and his knees became so weak that it even surprised him that he found the strength to move a little closer at the bed before letting his own body be pulled by gravity. He sat down in the bed and he buried his face in his hands. “I knew something is wrong…”

“What do you mean?” Fun Ghoul asked, getting increasingly desperate for answers.

Jet Star removed his hands and then turned his head to look at Ghoul, his face clammy and pale. “Party is missing… and so is Grace…. And our Trans Am is gone too… and the man that was guarding the gate was found dead… we fear that Party kidnapped Grace.”

Fun Ghoul felt his mouth open. “What?”

“Do I really have to repeat what I just say?” Jet Star snapped.

Fun Ghoul indeed heard Jet Star clearly but he believes there’s no way it is true. “I’m sorry Jet Star, but… _no way_ …”

 _‘How could he just come into conclusion that Party Poison kidnapped Grace? Grace was kidnapped? Isn’t the first action we need to do is to look for her around? What if they were both kidnapped by someone?’_ All these questions start to mess Fun Ghoul’s mind and he still haven’t realized that he’s now biting his nails and shaking his head. He then looked at Jet Star like he’s a madman. He’s lost for words…

They lapsed in a dreadful silence and they both know this action doesn’t help them at all. Fun Ghoul broke the silence when he remembered something.

“Where is Kobra? Does he––”

“Of course he already knows,” Jet Star quickly replied, not even letting Fun Ghoul finish his question. “But he doesn’t believe it. He’s with Show Pony right now at the computer room. He said he won’t believe it until he’d seen any video feed.”

Fun Ghoul raised his eyebrows. “Huh? Dr. D’s here already?”

Jet Star nodded. “They returned much earlier because they learned from Velocity’s team that three of his gang members were dusted by a rebel with a bright red hair four days ago.”

“No way!” Fun Ghoul said abruptly, shaking his head in disbelief. “There’s no way that it was Party Poison. It might be a different person––”

“Please Fun Ghoul stop defending Party at least for _now_ ,” requested Jet Star, his tone void of any venom but it is evident that he doesn’t want to believe that Party is capable of doing that. “I know how much you love him and I swear I’m still hoping that this is not true. What we can do right now is to find answers.”

Fun Ghoul knew he ought to get mad and start yelling at Jet Star, just like what he did yesterday. But he knows that it’s a stupid approach to this situation. He agrees and what they really need to do right now is to start looking for answers.

“I get it, Star. But I refuse to believe it until I see any evidence that this is true. Can we just go to where Kobra’s at?”

“All right, then,” said Jet Star who immediately stands up and starts marching out of the door. Fun Ghoul quickly wore his boots and grabbed his vest before following Jet Star out.

-

Party Poison blows a series of smoke rings, dispersing as they rise in the cold of that early morning. He’s sitting comfortably in his car seat, waiting for Korse to call him using the phone he hid inside the trunk. He retrieved the phone before throwing Grace inside the trunk. Grace’s hands and feet were bound with rope, her mouth covered with a thick cloth which was tied at the back of her head. Party knows she’s awake and he could hear her sobbing in fear. It’s music to his ear.

Party smirked. He was built to bring fear and terror and he’s glad that Grace feels it. Party wonders if Grace thinks the person she cares so much will be the one to execute her. He also wonders if humans tend to relish all their good memories when they’re about to die. He knows he won’t kill Grace and that’s for sure, and if the real Party Poison can even speak, he knows it will tell him that he’s glad. And now that he’s able to share some time with Fun Ghoul, it became clear why Korse suggested this plan.

“Very clever, Korse,” said Party Poison to no one.

He knows he was created by Better Living Industries to be feared by everyone. He knows this because he’s capable of influencing everyone’s minds. He is created to rule everyone who’s been reprogrammed by BL/ind. He knows there’s a sequence of codes inside him that sends signals to reprogrammed humans to fear him – telling them that he’s above them and that they should submit themselves to him.

His plan was almost foiled when Dracs suddenly appeared without his knowledge yesterday. Being superior to them, he cannot just stop his influence to Dracs. And Dracs would recognize him once they see him. And whenever something that’s not according to his plan happened, his blood boils in rage – because that’s how he was built. His moves are always calculated because he’s known as BL/ind’s top strategist. The only thing that can calm him is when his lust for blood and killing will be fulfilled. That’s why he killed them all.

But it was unexpected to know that he’s also capable of influencing those who used to be part of the Inner City project. He knows that both Fun Ghoul and Jet Star felt that fear and he doesn’t know why they still do since they had been freed from BL/ind’s control. Maybe there’s still some lingering command in their minds to submit to Better Living Industries although they’re not aware of.

Better Living Industries are able to control Dracs through the use of mask, drugs and other inhumane methods. And they will be programmed to follow either the Director or him. Just like what Fun Ghoul told him, BL/ind operates by removing people’s free will first. Although he was just built to rule them, he can’t help but wonder if he had any free will, even though he is not human and just a set of codes inside Party Poison brain, _controlling_ him. He doesn’t feel any emotion but he knows all of Party’s memories and he can’t help but to be interested. His love for his friends, his brother, and most especially for Fun Ghoul interests him.

He crushes the cigarette in the dashboard ashtray. He can’t wait to see Korse, now that he understands what Korse wanted to happen in the next few days.

-

The Fabulous Killjoys watches in horror the video feed – how Party Poison dragged Grace out, his ray gun pointing straight at her temple. Once they were out, Party Poison shot the guard twice in his head. Grace winced but kept her mouth shut as she saw Party Poison smirked back at her.

Fun Ghoul’s body began to treble. His knees became so weak that he fell to his knees, shaking his head. He cannot believe what he just saw.

Kobra Kid’s heart sank and disbelief written across his face. He mutters depressingly, “No… This is not happening. I can’t… no… _my brother_ … _What did they do to him?_ ” 


	11. Chapter 11

_Somewhere inside Better Living Industries Headquarters in Battery City... Ten months before the start of Helium Wars._

“Shit,” Dr. Steve cried in disgust, his eyes transfixed on the naked man standing in the middle of the experiment room. Wires in various colors are plugged all across his body which are all connected to machines that takes all physiological, psychological and other important biological and chemical readings that even  Steve knows it will take him days (or weeks perhaps) to understand the findings. Aside from the wires, the man is wearing a white mask over his head that has grotesque-looking design of sharp and bleeding mouth and dark eyes.

“Pretty clever eh, Steve?” said the Chief Scientist excitedly. There’s a thick glass the divides the experiment room and to where Steve and Chief are standing. On their side, there are metal tables and chairs aside from stacks of documents lying around the room. While inside the experiment room is the naked man who’s just standing right there and not making any movements. “That man is now under our full control,” the Chief Scientist pointed out. “You see, that mask bears certain codes and frequencies that bind the human mind and soul and making them submit themselves only to our Director. Once a human wear that mask, there’s nothing that person can do but to follow.”

Steve glared at the Chief Scientist and he’s exasperated. No one knows his real name and they just address him as Chief. Steve knows that the Chief is way much younger than him and rumors said that aside from being a medical doctor, he also had D.Eng and a PhD which is mind-blowing. On the other hand, Steve had a PhD in biochemistry who also likes wearing big sunglasses and bandana just like a rock star.

Steve surveyed his face – and as usual he can see the same smirk overflowing with satisfaction knowing that he successfully completed the project. Steve had expressed his opposition in this project to Chief, but it turns out that it was the Director’s primary project and not the Chief’s; and besides, he’s really not in the position to oppose those higher than him. There’s really nothing Steve can do, but he once tried to ask the Chief for copies of blueprints and manuscripts of that project. Unfortunately, he was told that due to the sensitive nature of the project and the fact that he is not part of the team, he is not allowed to.

The Chief reached for his chipped white mug from the table and drank the rest of his lukewarm coffee. He cleared his throat before glancing at Steve. “Once they wear the mask, they will be called Draculoids, Steve,” he tells Dr. Steve, smiling. “Or _Dracs_ for short. They are to become part of Better Living Industries’ S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit as our armed forces. And that’s our prototype,” Chief pointed his finger at the naked man. “The Director already saw it and she’s ecstatic. In the next few days, we’re about to mass-produce these masks.”

“B-but this is _inhumane_ ,” Steve shouted angrily, throwing his arms up in the air.

“And aren’t you part of the project that created the pills that forces people to be _happy_ all the time, _huh_?” Chief immediately countered back at Steve who now appeared stunned.

Dr. Steve felt his mouth open. The Chief knows how much he regrets being part of that project. “I k-know… but… This project is different,” Steve murmured and Chief just rolls his eyes.

“No they are not, Steve. They have similar functions,” the Chief replied back in a matter-of-factly tone; the same tone he is fond of using when he’s defending his projects or when he’s pretty proud of his authority and position. “And I like to remind you that we’re here at Better Living Industries to create and innovate. We create new technology to make this world a better place. And I truly admire the Director’s vision for this world. That’s why I love my work here.”

 _‘The Director_.’ Steve still hadn’t met her personally ever since she held the highest position at Better Living Industries about 2 years ago. And all Dr. Steve knows is that she came from Saitama Prefecture where the first branch of BL/ind is located. They used to call it as the Asian Branch, but they now moved all their operations to California. Similar to the Chief, no one knows her real name. Rumors said that she’s cunning and very smart. And no wonder the Chief is attracted to her wisdom and intelligence.

“I don’t really know, Chief. It’s just… I f-feel I don’t belong here,” Steve said and he sounded defeated. “I feel this corporation is steering in this new direction that I know I don’t want to be part of.”

“So you’re leaving us then?” Chief said, deadpan.

“I always knew I couldn’t hide things from you, Chief,” said Steve and not really surprised to learn that Chief knows he’s resigning. “Yeah… very soon… My conscience couldn’t bear it anymore. I’m slowly dying inside knowing that I became part of that project where we’re basically wiping away people’s emotions.”

“And you do realize that I can report you back to the Director, Steve?” Chief said, smirking.

Steve bore his eyes deeply at the Chief. “But I know you won’t, Chief,” Steve replied firmly.

“So the feeling is mutual then, Steve,” the Chief chuckled and suddenly the tension inside the room dissipated. “I know I couldn’t hide things from you as well. In all honesty, I feel sad that you don’t feel the same way. I thought we had the same vision, but apparently, we don’t.”

“You’re a man of science, Chief,” Steve praised. “And we all could see that this kind of work really suits you. And I really don’t intend to rub my morals in you.”

The Chief pulled Steve into a quick hug and Steve could almost smell that the guy hasn’t showered for days. “I wish you all the best then, Steve.”

“So how’s your wife?” asked Steve, steering their conversation away from work-related stuff. “And how old is your daughter?”

The Chief just gave the biggest smile at Steve and replied, “Grace is almost 7 months old, Steve. And she’s very adorable and beautiful, just like her mom!”

“Well I’m glad that despite your crazy schedule, you still find time to go home,” said Dr. Steve. Then the Chief’s gave him an awkward expression which made Steve raised his right eyebrow.

“Uh…”

“Don’t tell me…” Steve started. “Hey! When’s the last time you went home?”

“Uh… Three weeks ago?” Chief answered back innocently.

“Seriously Chief?” said Steve, gaping at Chief comically. “You need to go home! I’m sure your family misses you. And I know you love your job, but your dedication is just insane.”

“I know, I know…” Chief said, shrugging. “I might go home tomorrow. You see, I have a meeting with the Director tonight to discuss her new project so yeah… I think I will ask her for if I can have a day off.”

Steve smiled at the Chief before giving him a thumb up. “That sounds good, Chief―”

Suddenly there’s someone knocking at the door which interrupted their conversation.

“You can come in whoever you are!”  Chief shouted back, grinning at Steve.

A beaming bald man entered the Chief’s room. He’s wearing a crisp all-white suit and his BL/ind ID is tucked carefully in his pants pocket.

“Oh! Hi Grant!” Chief greeted and the man – Grant smiled at him. Then he looked at Steve whom he gave a shy nod. The Chief saw it and said, “Oh, this is Dr. Steve,” Steve quickly extended his right arm and Grant sincerely shake it back. “He’s on the BioChem department. This man is Grant Morrison, our Head of Security. He’s been promoted just last month and before he’s rarely around, so it might explain the reason why you don’t know each other. But now, he spent most of his time here in the headquarters improving our security and stuff.”

“I see… Nice meeting you, Grant,” said Steve. Grant looks young and handsome. And it was so weird because Steve found it very easy to admire how Grant smiles back at them. It’s so genuine and innocent.

Then Grant suddenly saw that there’s a naked man standing just behind the glass and Steve could see that it made him uncomfortable. He then shifted his gaze to his shoes.

“So how are the security cameras?” the Chief asked.

“Oh, that’s why I’m here!” said Grant, beaming back at them again, completely ignoring the naked man. “I wanted to tell you personally that we’d replaced all the security cameras in this department. And we also added a dozen more as per the Director’s instructions.”

“Wow, that’s great, Grant! I really appreciate your hard work,” Chief said.

“Oh, that’s my job and―”

Grant stopped speaking when the door swung open and someone in laboratory gown entered. He’s wearing laboratory safety goggles and his brown greasy hair is all over the place.

“Hi Erik, how’s the mRNAs?” Chief asked casually.

“Shut up, Chief,” Erik spat rudely which made Steve’s jaw fell down on the floor. He looked at Chief and his expression didn’t change – it seems that it’s just normal for the Chief’s research assistant to speak in that manner. “Can I have a few moments to just _breathe_ without thinking about stupid DNAs and other shit,” Erik added before removing his goggles. Erik groaned and mouthed something soundlessly like a goldfish before stopping completely when he saw Grant. 

“Oh shit! Hi Grant! I didn’t know you’re here!” said Erik kindly, his cheeks turning into a deep shade of red. Steve felt his eyebrows furrowed because of the sudden change of Erik’s tone.

“Yeah… Hi Erik…” Grant said softly, awkwardly waving at Erik. Steve also saw how hard he blushes just like Erik. And Steve knows there’s no virus around that suddenly makes people’s cheeks turn red. He can’t help but to giggle a little because he knows there’s something more between Erik and Grant. He felt warm suddenly – ‘ _young love’_ he told himself. Chief, on the other hand, just rolls his eyes.

“So we’re still on for tomorrow movie night, right?” asked Erik while awkwardly scratching the back of neck.

“Oh… t-that… yeah…” said Grant, embarrassed and his face still red. “I’ll s-see you tomorrow, Erik…” Grant softly said his goodbye to Steve and Chief before leaving the room.

After Grant left, Erik quickly walked to his table and sat on his chair. He picked up a white folder which was lying in his table and started to read, completely hiding his face from the Chief.  

“So where are we, Steve?” Chief asked and Steve just shrugged. Grant and Erik’s presence made them forgot what they’re talking about.

“Well I guess I’ll just leave then,” said Steve. “I remember that I also need to discuss something to Ricky.”

“Oh all right, then. Hope to still see you around, Steve.”

“Yeah… See you around, Chief.”

 -

When Steve went back to his office room, he immediately saw Ricky who was busy packing some of his documents inside the white box. Ricky looked up as he entered, beaming back at him. “Welcome back!” Ricky greeted, smiling from ear to ear.

Steve surveyed his office room which is now in complete chaos with numerous boxes and piles of papers scattered all over the place. He’s about to leave his post as one of BL’s Researcher’s in twenty days, which gives him enough time to start sorting out all the documents that he need to surrender to the company while some documents is his to keep. Surprisingly, his assistant Ricky Rebel decided to resign from his post as well, telling him that it doesn’t make any sense working at Better Living Industries without Steve. Steve protested, telling him that with his credentials and expertise in biochemistry, he definitely had a bright future with this company. But Ricky said that his credentials don’t mean anything if it will be used on creating evil research. It made Steve happy and proud of his assistant, although he didn’t tell Ricky that.

Steve managed to reach his table without stepping from any documents lying around, grabbing his log book and quickly jotting down some notes.

“So,” Ricky started and Steve looked at him. “How’s your talk with the Chief?”

“Well, it’s crazy,” Steve replied. “Did you know that he finally developed this mask that can control people?”

“Really?” said Ricky, his eyes slightly getting bigger.

“Yes. I saw it with my own eyes.” said Steve, nodding his head. He decided to return his log book in its proper place back at the white metallic cabinet rather than in his table where piles of misplaced papers and documents are already occupying it. “He calls it _Draculoids_ or _Dracs_ for short. He finished the prototype and the Chief said they’re about to start mass producing those masks,” Steve supplied.

“So how does it work?”

“The mask itself can control the person who wears it. He said it releases frequencies that will bind the human mind and soul,” said Steve and Ricky winced. “I really don’t know the mechanism and how it works but apparently, the Chief is really successful and it’s creepy as hell.”

“Oh that’s… _unbelievable_ …” said Ricky, staring at Steve.  

“I know. First was the drug, and then now are the masks,” said Steve, sighing. “The Chief mentions that the Director will discuss her new project with him tonight. You know, I really had no idea what’s next on her agenda, but I bet it will be way more evil than the pills and masks.”

“Me either. I guess we really made the right choice leaving BL for good.”

“Yes. I guess you’re right, Ricky.”

 

* * *

 

“One thing we are sure of is Party Poison kidnapped Grace,” Show Pony tells them. The Fabulous Killjoys are sitting in the old leather couch at the Computer Room, completely miserable and devastated. The video feed where Party stormed outside the headquarters with Grace keeps playing in monitor and Fun Ghoul can’t help but to look at it – and every repeat makes his heart break even more. He knows he should quit and turn his face away from it, but he just can’t. He wants to believe that he’s just dreaming – that anytime soon he will wake up with Party at his side. He doesn’t want to believe that Party will do such thing. And it breaks Fun Ghoul’s heart because he knows he is not dreaming. Reality kills him and what hurts him even more is when he realized that everything that Party said to them might be all lies.

“Maybe they control him?” Jet Star suggested quietly. He glanced at Kobra Kid who looked so miserable and lost.

Jet Star knows he needs to be sensitive and careful. He knows he shouldn’t mention anything that will hurt Kobra Kid and Fun Ghoul even more. And he can’t help but to blame himself too because if only he made a move and stop Party Poison, maybe this whole thing will not happen.

Because ever since they escaped Inner City, all they wanted to do is to find Kobra Kid’s brother – that’s only their goal and nothing more. But never in their wildest dream did they think that something more horrible and evil happened to Party Poison in the past four years. And now, history just repeated itself – Grace is kidnapped again, not by Korse, but by Party Poison. And there’s the misery and torture all over again, but this is way worse than before.

“That’s a possibility, Star,” Show Pony answered in this miserable silence. “We know that the real Party Poison won’t do such thing especially to Grace. We know he loves Grace! You even risked all your lives just to save her. Now that we think about it, it only makes sense that the Party Poison you’re with can’t be the real one.”

“That’s impossible, Pony,” Fun Ghoul said suddenly. “I know that’s Party Poison… I’m s-sure...”

Dr. Death sighed heavily and said, “Fun Ghoul, what makes you so sure?”

“I know that’s him, Dr. D. Physically, it is Party. He is not just an android or whatever shit BL can create,” said Fun Ghoul, trying his best to gather his thoughts and to think logically. “Maybe BL did something to him. But the way he talks, the way he asks me question, I know it’s him... And I think what we need to do is to save _both_ Grace and Party.”

“Are you a hundred percent sure that it’s Party Poison, Fun Ghoul?” Dr. Death inquires again. He doesn’t want to sound like a broken record, but he wanted to make it sure that Fun Ghoul understands the gravity of the situation and not because he is blinded by his adoration to Party Poison.

“Yes. Trust me on this, Dr. D.” said Fun Ghoul, nodding his head. We all know that the real Party won’t do those things. And I believe Jet Star is right on this one – that Party is controlled by BL and there’s nothing he can do but to follow. The lies he tells us are just part of his plan to get here and kidnapped Grace. But I know it is still Party and we also need to save him no matter what.”

“All right Killjoys,” Show Pony started, his chest heavy. “I really hate to say this but there’s a high possibility that Party Poison is the Strategist of Better Living Industries.”

“N-no… I-impossible!” Kobra Kid stuttered, repeatedly shaking his head, not believing what Show Pony just said. Fun Ghoul just covered his face with his hands, sighing depressingly. He doesn’t know how many distressing revelations he has to hear before he completely lose his mind.

“It was a huge lapse on our part not updating you about the information we received two weeks ago,” said Show Pony miserably. “We learned from our resources that the Strategist was missing in action after Zones 10 and 15 fell. But then they learned that the Director just sent him on a mission to retrieve something from the Zones. Then suddenly, we received reports about rebels being dusted by an unknown rebel. We thought this is just normal, that rebels kill other rebels for resources or maybe for personal reasons. It turns out it wasn’t the case. When we went to Velocity last night, he told us that this certain red-haired rebel who killed three members of his gang was actually asking for information about us, especially about Dr. Death’s location. Although we already know that you found Party yesterday morning, it never crossed our mind that it was him because, truth be told, we are too late to find that out.”

“And here we are, expecting that the Fall of Five Zones will happen anytime soon, but they didn’t even move yet, even though they had the momentum,” said Dr. Death Defying to the Fabulous Killjoys. “Because apparently, they still need to get Grace even after all these years.”

“Tell us, what’s really special about Grace?” Jet Star asked. It was a nagging question for the Fabulous Killjoys for so long because all they know is they need to protect her.

“I really regret not telling this earlier. Grace is my friend’s only daughter,” said Dr. Death. “Show Pony and I used to work at Better Living Industries, but we left months before the Helium Wars began and even before BL rise to power and finally took control.”

“Shut the fuck up! Are you serious?” Jet Star asked, gaping at Dr. Death. Kobra Kid and Fun Ghoul are also looking at Dr. Death, their mouth slightly open and shocked at his revelation.

“Yes, it is true, _unfortunately_ ,” Dr. Death affirms miserably. “Grace’s dad was the one who invented the Draculoid masks. And aside from the masks, he also played a huge part in the development of the ray guns. Grace’s dad used to be BL’s top scientist before and we all call him Chief. Sadly, he was dusted by Korse hours only after he asked me personally to keep Grace safe and to keep her in the Zones, away from Battery City. It appears that there’s something inside Grace that the Director needs. But I really had no idea what it is because the Chief never told me. And aside from it, we lost all our main connections inside BL ever since that we left so we never got the chance to find it out. And as all of you know, all we had right now are spies who tried their best to get information and relay them back to us.”

“And now that they got Grace, we’re afraid that this war is about to end,” said Show Pony sadly. “And I agree that what we can do right now is to save Grace.” Show Pony looked at the Fabulous Killjoys sharply, examining if they can handle the same mission that they did four years ago.

Then Show Pony asks the Fabulous Killjoys, “So are you ready to go back to Battery City and save them?”

 

* * *

 

“Do you know this famous work by St. Augustine called _City of God_ , Chief?” the Director asked, leaning comfortably in her black leather revolving chair. There were no available seat in her office aside from the one the she is currently seating, and so the Chief is just standing behind the table, looking at Chief curiously.

“Uh… I think I heard about that before, my lady,” the Chief answered back, quite puzzled by her question. “But I never got the chance to really learn about it deeply. My apologies, ma’am.”

“No need to apologize, Chief,” said the Director softly. “I’m very much aware of your strengths and those are in the fields of engineering and science. And perhaps church history or history in general bores you. Honestly though, it bores me too. But I can’t help but to be interested in such old writings that shaped what people believes now, _spiritually_ specifically. Personally, I don’t believe that there are gods out there, most especially the Christian god. But for two thousand years, it is able to withstand all the attacks against it. Scientists, atheists, mathematicians, philosophers… they are able to use reason, logic, insane calculations and even so-called proofs and evidences to attack this religion. And from east and back to the west, _millions_ of people follow this religion up to this day. It baffles me because it became so successful.”

The Director continues, “So you see, Augustine tells that there are two cities: the city of God and the earthly one. When man chose the city of God, they recognize that they are fallen and will be redeem and saved by the Christian god. But this city of God talks about the afterlife… And I can’t help but to be interested in this idea. In essence, that is why that religion is so successful – it promises perfection in afterlife. But I want it now here on earth. I want to bring that kind of salvation to them. I want Better Living Industries to be the one who saved them and not just some kind of religion that they’re not even sure if it is true. I want my own City of God _now_.”

“And what do you want me to do?” asked the Chief, feeling overwhelmed by the Director’s ideas.

“You know that all I want is _perfection_. I want people to feel that it is us who will save them from this imperfect world. I want people to be happy and for them not to feel pain anymore. That’s why we developed the drugs for that. And now, what I want you to do is to create our own version of god.”

“What?” the Chief gasped.

“If you’re able to do that, Chief, then my project will be complete. My dreams will come true.”

“I don’t understand, ma’am,” the Chief said apologetically.

“I want you to create god, someone that people who are drugged and those who wear the masks will follow. They will fear and submit to him no matter what and they will have no choice. They will recognize him as their own savior and he will rule everyone. I know I cannot be that person because all I want is to see my dreams come true. And I’m aware that the mechanism is completely different from the Draculoid masks but I know you can do it, Chief. It’s up to you how you will create it – it can be an android or whatever. You’ll see all my documentation in this folder and we’re calling this Project Zero.”

“Your ideas are mind-blowing, my lady. But I like it,” said the Chief, taking the folder from the Director. “I like your challenge.”

“Excellent, Chief,” said the Director, smiling at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always thought that BL/ind wants to play god, with all their crazy drugs and masks that can control people, and so that's where I got the idea for this fic. And this is a work of fiction and I have nothing against any religion, so please please please don't hate me. Also, the next chapter will follow the same format of flashbacks, then back to present day. I really hope that it wont be that confusing.


	12. Chapter 12

Hours of planning, a handful of trucks that unloaded various machines and state-of-the-art computers and a room full of blueprints and manuscripts seem to be not enough for the Chief to make the Code works so they could create this so called _god_.

“I really don’t know where I got it wrong.” The Chief sighed, disappointment is practically dripping in each words. He stretched his right arm forward; his stomach almost hit his metal table as he reached for another roll of Project Zero blueprint. He removed the red color pencil that was tucked in his left ear and start marking the blueprint, encircling the most important mechanism in his project and making crooked lines in other areas that only he can understand.

Scribbling notes and making calculations took the Chief’s time today while stuck inside Better Living Industries’ Experiment Station. He already camped out in this Station, leaving Erik all alone in his old experiment room _slash_ laboratory. He’s been working on Project Zero for almost three months and he hadn’t made any significant progress yet. As days go by, he gets more and more frustrated and it seems that there is no way to make the _Code_ work that will make anyone under BL/ind’s control submit under it.

The mechanism should be really simple for this project, and that is what the Chief thought at first. The Draculoid masks are able to control the person who wears it through the use of electronic frequencies and waves that alters how the brain normally functions. It was dangerous at first and only heaven knows how many people had their brains died for a while during the experiment stage. Working as the Chief Scientist at Better Living Industries had taught him not to feel any compassion towards his experiment specimens. It was his job and so, there’s nothing he can really do about it.

For Project Zero, he only needs to create the right code that will bind the frequency released by the Draculoid mask so that it will recognize that it is their leader, someone who is above them. He already figured out the right Code which was inside this very tiny machine – almost the same size as a dime, but he just can’t seem to make it function or work.

He tried inserting this machine that bears the Code at Androids. At first, he received positive response from it. Signals that ping back to his monitors provide an impressive feedback that he almost thought that he perfected the Code at first try. Suddenly, the computer registered a complete opposite feedback and almost in the edge of setting the android on fire which is unbelievable. Apparently, the Code only works at Androids only exactly five seconds which is not the result they are expecting at all. When the Chief placed the machine inside the head of the android, the android’s head immediately short-circuits after five seconds and it appear that the machine is not compatible with the Android.

The result of this first trial is really terrible, even at his standards as the best Scientist at Battery City.

 At first, he was fine creating the androids himself, but after a series of disappointed results, he opted to outsource the androids from other department so he can save his time. So far, he used more than 50 androids which also explains how many his failed trials are.

And so far, the best result that he got is one minute and forty-two seconds before the Android shuts down completely.

His assistant Erik visits him almost every day with the only sole intention of getting updates so he can forward it back to the Director. At first, Erik was very interested in this project and he even helped him developed the code at the initial stage. But after his series of unfortunate failures with the Androids, Erik decided to just stay in their experiment room, telling him that he’ll work on the projects they left hanging.

The Director knows his progress, thanks to Erik and she didn’t even attempt to visit him at the Experiment Station. The last time he saw her was when she gave him the documentation back at her office. But this changed when suddenly the Director walked right inside the Experiment Station alone.

“I think what you’re doing is not working at all, Chief,” the Director announced, her eyes dead which is not really unusual.

The Chief breathe in heavily. “I followed your documentation and I even developed the right machine that can control the Draculoids but it seems I can’t make it work. It needs a body – a host that will make it function properly. But androids can’t handle the machine.” The Chief shuffles, grabbing the latest blueprint that he marked earlier. He passed the blueprint to the Director and she examined it earnestly. She hums from time to time while examining it and the Chief is not quite sure if she agrees with the blueprint or she see something is wrong.

And it appears that it was the latter.

“I don’t think the machine will work on androids at all, Chief.” The Director declared like it was a theory formulated thousands of years ago. Rolling the blueprint, she looked back at the Chief Scientist who’s eyebrows are raised, obviously confused. “Why don’t you try inserting that machine inside a human brain? Maybe it will make the Code work.” The Director’s lips twitched, her eyes spark and the Chief knows that it’s a sure sign that she can’t be wrong with her idea.

To be honest, the Chief never thought of using live human being for Project Zero. And he could imagine already that if a person will bear the code successfully, it only means that this someone will rule everyone, just like the Director and not just an android that had the extra capability of controlling Draculoids. A live and breathing human being acting like a _god_ here on earth.

But as the Chief analyzes the Director’s suggestion, he could already foresee that there are loads of flaws in using people in this project. “But when we put the machine inside this hypothetical human being, it only means that enemies could easily kill it and that would be the end of this project.”

The Director’s lip twitched again, this time it’s a sign that she’s annoyed. “Just make the Code work at first, Chief,” the Director said and it is not a request but an order. The Chief swallowed hard, and a drop of sweat ran across his face. It’s not even hot in the Experiment Station and he knows he is sweating because of fear. “If you are successful in making this experiment work, then feel free to list down all the flaws that you can see and we’ll address them one by one together. Is that clear, Chief?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” the Chief nodded, unconsciously tugging the collar of his polo, unbuttoning the topmost button. He knows it won’t help him breathe normally but he just need to do it because he is nervous. Sometimes he wonders how in the world the Director is capable of making other people tremble in fear and she does it very naturally.

“Good,” the Director said, smirking at the Chief. “We have prisoners that you can use, just like what you did when you work on developing the Draculoid masks.”

-

_But it is easier said than done._

The first human he used is a rebel who was arrested from Zone 2. The guy has been jailed for more than 6 months and is already been broken due to both the mental and physical torture he received. He’s like a living dead – a zombie similar to those he read in fiction books when he was young.

This time, he asked for Erik’s service to assists him while opening up the guy’s head and inserting the machine inside his brain. It has been months since he last operated a live human being but he knows he is not rusty. It took him 3 hours to properly install the machine inside the guy’s brain. He drills a dime-size hole in his skull to make a passage for the machine which is still relatively safe. And using the latest technology, he inserted a couple of nano-machines that helped him properly connect the machine to the right nerves.

It took the Chief a week to receive a ping from the machine he installed in the guy’s brain. But the guy didn’t wake up at all.

Basically, the experiment killed the guy’s brain. The guy’s brain swell so bad that it killed him. This result doesn’t surprise the Chief at all since he figured out that the machine is a foreign object and antibodies will react against it. Too bad it was too late for him to realize that.

So he needs to modify the outer shell of the machine that will mimic a living cell, masking the fact that it is a foreign object. This way, it will lessen the chance that antibodies will recognize it as something foreign and will not attack it.

Enveloping the machine in a new layer with live cells seems like an idea straight from science fiction books and movies. But he was able to create it, thanks to Erik’s expertise in Biotechnology and Microbiology. Before inserting this modified machine inside a live human being, the Chief created a simulation cage first where he got promising results.

But simulation models are way different from the actual experiment. The guy he used again for this experiment die too.

But the third experiment gave a different result though.

The man survived but the machine didn’t work. He is just like a human who is brain dead.

Yes. It is easier said than done. And the Chief feels he wants to give up soon.

-

 “I think we forgot to include one factor in this experiment, Chief,” Erik stated while they are brainstorming inside the Experiment Station. The Chief looked back at him, raising his right eyebrow. “I think you forgot to include the human’s will power in this experiment.” The Chief even raised his eyebrow more, almost on the edge of joining his hair line.

“What I am trying to say is maybe we cannot just use any human for this experiment. That person must have this will power to lead. Maybe someone who is strong, bright…”

“How will that even be a factor in this project, Erik?” the Chief asked, rubbing his eye using the back of his hand. “Feelings don’t mean anything in this experiment. Our objective here is to make the Code inside the machine work; control the man’s brain so he can make the Draculoids and submit under him.”

“It makes sense, Chief,” Erik pointed out and the Chief doesn’t get it at all. “Whoever that man would be will have to exercise his natural talents and traits. I think what we need to do is to make the Code override the brain. In essence, it’s like deprogramming him to be this new person but he will have this power to rule the Draculoids through the frequencies and waves he give away naturally.”

The Chief is slowly getting Erik’s point and yes, it does make sense. He didn’t get it though why emotions and feelings will play a huge factor to the success of this Project. He never considers emotions at all. He just thought that all human beings are the same.

“All the humans we used in the experiment are broken people. They lose the will to fight for their life anymore. And all they want in their life is to die. I could see it in their eyes, Chief.” Erik tells him, throwing his arms up expressively. “Their eyes are dead and the will to survive is gone. So what I’m suggesting here is we take a different path in this experiment. We won’t use any prisoner but a willing human being.”

The Chief bit his nail unconsciously and it hurt a little bit. He’s reconsidering Erik’s suggestion and he had a weird feeling that it might actually work this time. Thinking about Erik’s explanation, it sounds like this project should be very easy and he wonders why he always fail. He knows this project is huge and the Director trusted him. But there are just too many factors that he need to consider and keeping the human just alive is very hard. What more making the machine properly work inside the brain?

Then the Chief was pulled back to reality when he heard Erik made another suggestion. And he believes he misheard him.

“What did you say, Erik?” the Chief asked, furrowing his eyebrows. Erik just looked back at him earnestly.

“I said, _try me_.”

The Chief immediately shook his head; his eyes grew in size not due to amazement but because of anger. He feels his chest tighten and he is not used to expressing strong emotion. “No way, Erik! There’s no way that I’m accepting your proposal.” The Chief spat and he could see how determined Erik was and he hates it. “This is not a stupid game, Erik. We already killed a handful of guys for this project. And I don’t want you to become part of that!”

It was late when the Chief realize that he’s already raising his voice, throwing sentences back at Erik which are also littered with curses.

“Just hear me out, Chief,” Erik said, still very determined to make the Chief agree to his proposal. “I trust you and I might not be the best laboratory rat for this experiment but ―”

“You’re not a laboratory rat, Erik. You’re my assistant,” the Chief stated the obvious.

“I know, I know,” Erik sighed. “But maybe there’s a huge chance that it will work if it’s me.”

“I don’t think you get it, Erik,” the Chief said, scratching his head and thoroughly annoyed. He’s sure that Erik doesn’t get it. “Either way Erik – if the experiment is successful or not – you have to give up important things in your life!”

“I’m very much aware of the sacrifices I had to make for this project, Chief,” Erik answered back.

The Chief had no choice but to pull out his winning card. “And what about Grant, Erik?”

There was an immediate silence after the Chief mentioned Grant’s name. He watches Erik and he couldn’t get any single idea what he’s thinking right now.

The Chief is not stupid and he knows Erik loves Grant. And although romance is prohibited inside Better Living Industries, there’s no way that he will report the two of them to the Director.

“I know this is selfish but please Chief,” Erik begged and it made the Chief more puzzled. He doesn’t understand why Erik is so eager to be part of the experiment. “Please don’t tell Grant. And I wanted to be part of the experiment, Chief and I trust you… And I really don’t think you can say no to the Director,” Erik murmured his last statement but the Chief heard it clearly.

“Wait,” the Chief put his hand in the air, stopping Erik. The Chief now appears to understand what the fuck just happened. “I need you to be honest here, Erik. Don’t tell me this was the Director’s idea?”

Erik neither said anything nor even move a single muscle.

The Chief quickly slammed his hand in the metal table and all the papers which are randomly spread in the table jumped from its stationary place. Erik also jumped from his seat, his eyes double in size. “Answer me, Erik!”

“Yes, Chief,” Erik answered back, almost whispering.

“And all the suggestions you said earlier, it was her idea too, am I correct?” the Chief asked but inside his head he thinks he already know the answer.

Erik nodded.

The Chief knows that the Director is cunning and most of the time he don’t understand what’s running inside her head. But this is just too much. Why does she have to tell her ideas to Erik and not directly to him? And why asked Erik to be a lab rat? Erik is like his younger brother and they’ve been together ever since Erik started working at Better Living Industries

In all honesty, the Chief is also scared – scared of losing Erik. He is not just his assistant. He is important to him like a younger brother whom he cannot afford to lose. Suddenly, a flood of what-ifs started to fill Chief’s brain. The first two experiments killed the host while the third one killed its brain. There’s a huge possibility that the experiment will fail again and it will cost Erik’s life.

But he can’t help but to think that maybe the Director is right. Maybe there’s logic in her ideas and the Chief can’t deny that he wanted this project to be over.

If only Steve is still working at Better Living Industries, maybe he could asked for his opinion. He misses his wisdom in times like this.

The Chief sighed heavily. Erik is right. He can’t say no to the Director.

And Erik looked at the Chief and he knows that the Chief had no other choice but to make him part of the project.

-

Erik knows that the Chief is right about Grant. He cannot tell Grant that he will become part of the experiment. But knowing that he will have the chance to control the Draculoids – in essence become like a god is so enticing that his mouth waters. He can’t afford to miss this opportunity. He knows there’s an evil side in his personality and no one even knows about it – even his beloved Grant. It is weird though because the Director seems to see this part of him. And right when the Director explained to him about what Project Zero is all about, he agreed right away to her proposal without even thinking twice.

Be like god. He likes the sound of it.

-

But again, it is easier said than done.

 

* * *

 

Korse looked at Party Poison, his nerves going in crazy places because he knows something is not right. He just arrived a few seconds ago and he bet Party heard the tires screeched against the sandy road.

Standing just outside the Trans Am and the window rolled down, he clearly saw that Party’s eyes are tightly shut, his back leaning comfortably against the leather seat. Both Party’s arms are carefully placed in his lap and he’s breathing silently. He doesn’t look scary up close, Korse thought. Actually, it was the first time that Korse saw Party looking that way – so innocent and calm, his face look so soft like he never experienced any tension in his life. He is not like the cold-blooded Strategist of Better Living Industries as he used to know.

He could almost see the old Party Poison in him, the leader of the Fabulous Killjoys.

If only Korse didn’t shot his head, maybe things will be different to Party Poison. He guessed that maybe he’ll be part of the Inner City Project and not become the best candidate for the Project Zero. Because unlike the other three Killjoys, Party Poison was the only one who was shot in his head that made him brain dead.

All of the sudden, Party Poison opened his eyes and Korse’s felt sudden fear run through his veins. Yes, he fears Party Poison above anyone else, even more than the Director. Actually, he doesn’t feel any fear towards the Director of Better Living Industries but only hatred. He hated her for what he done to Erik and all he wanted to do is avenge his death.

“You’re late, Korse,” Party Poison said coldly, still not moving an inch in his seat. “You do realize I can kill you right here if I wanted to, right?”

Korse felt a huge lump stuck on his throat and he knows he need to provide an answer or else. “Y-yes sir…” Korse apologized, his voice smaller than usual. “I’m very s-sorry…”

“I have a lot to asked, Korse and I’m hoping you can clear things up for me,” Party Poison said and Korse felt cold. He doesn’t like the way this conversation is going. “I believe it was your plan all along to wake up the Fabulous Killjoys that were stuck at Inner City. And if I remember it correctly, you even talked to Fun Ghoul which made him start remembering things more. Then you even submitted a fake report that Ray Toro is dead. Am I right?”

Korse stepped back, but he knows he can’t run away. Party Poison is now looking at him straight to his eyes. His eyes were cold and dead.

“I’m ready to die,” was the only string of words that Korse said right at that moment.

“But I won’t kill you, Korse,” Party Poison quickly replied, smirking at him. “And by your response, I guess it is safe to assume that I’m correct?”

Korse nodded, swallowing hard.

“You know, I trust you Korse,” Party Poison said and it made Korse now confused. He just admitted to the Strategist that he’s not on Better Living Industries side and he wonders why he just said that.

“You’re my keeper and I told you everything about what I am feeling. I know it is weird to develop this kind of interest, especially to Party’s old memories. All I know is to control, rule and make people fear me. I don’t know why but I wanted to feel other emotions too, like love… Just like the way Party Poison love Fun Ghoul…”

Korse felt his mouth slightly open. Party’s statement just proved one thing to Korse. That all this time, even though that laser gun killed Party Poison's brain and BL/ind even modified him for their personal gain, it didn’t kill heart.

His heart is bulletproof.

Party Poison got a bulletproof heart and slowly, it is trying to kill the monster BL/ind planted in his brain.


	13. Chapter 13

“Are you ready, Erik?” the Chief asked, his voice shaking and his heart pounding faster in a manner that it might be even possible for it jump out of his chest and that’s just scientifically impossible.

But the Chief can’t help but to feel anxious. He knows he shouldn’t be because he’s about to start the operation.

And for the very first time in his professional career, it was the only operation that he feels this way.

He knows what he is feeling is not normal. He recognizes that he holds Erik life at his hands. And it was crazy because being a medical doctor trained him to be confident.

And so, he forced himself to believe that he can do the operation. And he’s aware that there’s no turning back now.

Then Erik provides his response in a form of nod. He even smiled but it doesn’t give the Chief any boost of confidence. He mentally cursed himself because he knows he should stop worrying and just be his old self – the one who’s always sure about things and bold. He became Better Living Industries’ top scientist because he’s the best on what he does. The Director trusted him and he cannot afford to fuck this project up.

He’s doing this to provide Grace a brighter future. Even though there’s a constant battle between the Zones and Better Living Industries – which is now officially called the _Helium Wars_ – he’s able to take care of his family and keep them safe inside Battery City. He’s never around much and his heart aches when he will leave his home so he can go back to work. He knows it’s unfair, not only for Grace but also for his wife. Now, they rarely talks and he fears that his work is slowly destroying his relationship with her. But she’s strong and brave, and that’s what he loves about her. And those are the traits he wants Grace to inherit from her beautiful mom.

But he cannot just throw away the years he worked for becoming who he is right now.

Breathing loudly and trying his best to keep his nerves under control, the Chief started and he placed Erik under general anesthesia. Minutes after, Erik drifted into nothingness.

 

* * *

 

Fun Ghoul shouldn’t be even dreaming about this.

And if this will continue on, he knows he will die due to tremendous guilt.

He really needs to wake up. But he’s not even sure if he’s asleep. Maybe he is. Or maybe he’s half-asleep.

Yes, that was it. He’s half-asleep.

But he can’t believe he’s remembering this at all.

Their naked bodies tangled; sweat practically covering every inch of their skin. And he’s taking his time licking Party Poison’s sweet skin.

Oh fuck. Not the right time to remember that at all.

Fun Ghoul really needs to wake up soon.

Party’s chest was pressed against the floor and Fun Ghoul licks his back. He doesn’t want to rush things and he’s paying so much attention at his entrance, licking it hotly and the sound that Party makes is more than enough to make him come.

But he won’t, of course. There’s the right time for it.

He then moves his mouth away slowly. He’s now tracing Party’s curves with his tongue. He can’t also help but to leave tiny kisses and lapping at his skin like he’s a motherfucking cat.

Fun Ghoul then moves up and his hand now rubs Party’s side. Then he lay down, his chest now pressing against Party’s back.

And Party’s skin is warm against his. And he likes every single thing about it. Ghoul wants to move his tongue all over his lover’s body and just taste him.

Actually, there are just too many things that Ghoul wanted to do. But now, Ghoul decided to mark him. He started to suck bruises against Party’s neck. And when his mouth moved and touched Party’s earlobe, he can’t help but licked it which made Party squirmed and beg for more.

Fun Ghoul really needs to wake up soon.

He then trails his tattooed hands in Party’s side, caressing it inch by inch and moving at an agonizing pace that made Party whimpered.

_“Ghoul…”_

Fun Ghoul resumes on nipping Party’s neck, before placing kisses on it. He could see Party’s face – his cheeks flushed, eyes tightly shut and his mouth slightly parted. Party’s lips looks so obscene – slick and shiny. And Fun Ghoul wants to run his own tongue against it… lick it, kiss it… _devour it_. He could also hear him breathing. And the way Fun Ghoul presses his chest against Party’s back, he could also feel that his heart is pounding fast.

He loves everything about him.

Fun Ghoul’s hand now rests on Party’s length. He’s not touching it; it’s just resting there… teasing him. And he knows that Party hates it.

Then Fun Ghoul slowly arches his back, aligning his own at Party’s entrance.

Party moaned, louder this time and Fun Ghoul can’t help but smirked.

This is what Party asked for. He prepared him for this minutes ago.

And he’s tight. He’s always tight. Now that he’s balls deep, Fun Ghoul’s hand started to stroke Party’s length, his thumb now circling the head. He also resumes on kissing Party’s neck and he can’t help but smile when he heard him moaning and asking for more.

Fun Ghoul really needs to wake up. Now.

And so he did.

Fun Ghoul opened his eyes painfully. He then groaned, disgusted with his own self and guilt started to fill every inch of his body.

‘ _That is so fucked up_ ,’ Ghoul thought before mentally cursing himself. Ghoul knows that it is not the right time to think about all the hot crazy sex he had with Party Poison. Not now when he knows that Grace is in danger and they need to save Party Poison from Better Living Industries’ control.

Fun Ghoul sighed, disappointed with himself. He waited a few moments before his eyes properly adjusted to the dark room he’s currently in.

The room he’s at is not entirely pitch black, but the Computer Room doesn’t have a single window and Fun Ghoul’s sense of time seems not to work. He’s also lying down at the leather couch, and surprisingly, there’s a small white pillow which was tucked behind his head. He wonders where it came from. Still lying down, his eyes wander and saw that the video feed is still on, but it’s now static and noiseless. Then his eyes fall down on two figures lying down on the floor, both are also asleep.

Then he suddenly remembers all the discussions that they had with Show Pony and Dr. Death Defying. And he can’t help but to feel miserable again.

He’s even more miserable because even his own brain is betraying him, making him remember things he shouldn’t be even thinking about.

But it is now or never. He really needs to pull his shit back together.

Because the Fabulous Killjoys decided to sneak inside Better Living Industries’ headquarters tonight and they planned on leaving Dr. Death’s place at exactly 17:00.

Fun Ghoul can’t help but think that maybe this will be their last operation. They know going back to Battery City is suicide and there’s even high possibility that they’ll be killed in the process. The last time they went there proves this. And now, they’re going back there with the same agenda.

He needs to save Party Poison, no matter what.

Fun Ghoul then buried his face in his pillow and all of a sudden, he felt his eyes sting.

_“I’ll save you, Party.”_

 

* * *

 

“Erik, are you there?” Grant asked, knocking at the huge metal door of the Experiment Station. It has been a week since Grant last saw Erik and he’s very worried.

He knows it is crazy, but he feels something is wrong because it is very unusual not to see Erik around. It also doesn’t help that they fought the last time they saw each other. And Grant had even forgotten what their argument was about. But he’ll definitely apologize to him once he saw him.

He really needs to see him soon. Guilt is slowly eating him up.

“Erik? _Chief?_ Are you there?” Grant called again and silence still dominated the whole area.

But Grant highly doubts that no one is inside the Station. He knows that the Chief Scientist is always inside, heck, he rarely left this Station. And besides, the Chief knows him and they’re in friendly terms. It’s just weird that no one is answering him.

Grant sighed. He can’t help but to be disappointed. And now, he’s also becoming increasingly mad towards Erik. He can’t help it. It’s just so unfair for Grant and he feels he doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment from Erik.

But Grant reckons that Erik might only be busy. He’s a bright young man, and that’s just one of his traits that made him fall in love with him. Grant doesn’t know what the fuck his boyfriend is working on. But then again, it doesn’t warrant this kind of treatment from Erik. Grant wants to see him. He misses him so bad.

“Why is the Head of Security standing outside the Experiment Station? Are you looking for someone?”

Grant’s head snapped and he saw that the Director is standing just a few meters away from him. He didn’t even hear them coming. And the Director is not alone; beside her are two Japanese men wearing laboratory gowns whom he believes he never saw around the building. His wild guess is they’re both scientist. And aside from the scientists, there are three Draculoids standing behind them.

“I―” Grant would like to say something but he felt like he just swallowed his own tongue right at that moment. He knows he badly needs to defend himself because he’s quite aware that the Experiment Station is a restricted area.

He felt cold sweat run across his face. He’s just looking for Erik, but now it appears that he might lose his job.

“So?” the Director raised her eyebrows, waiting for Grant’s response. But Grant just stood there; waiting for the cold floor to swallow him whole, if that is even possible.

“If you have no business to be here, then just leave. Or do you want the Dracs to escort you outside?

Grant shook his head nervously. “No ma’am, N-no need for the Dracs… I apologize...” Grant lowered his head down and all he can see was the black speck on his white shoes. “I’ll j-just leave and ―”

Grant wasn’t able to finish what he’s about to say when he suddenly heard the doors of the Experiment Station opened. He lifted his face up and saw that the Director just used her own key card to open the doors. It also appears that she already forgotten about Grant’s presence.

The Director, together with her company entered the room. And Grant’s curiosity got the best of him and so, he peaked inside since the door is still opened. The vibes is just so inviting and he can’t resist it.

And then Grant saw the Chief kneeling, both his head and arms are resting on the floor.

And he’s crying.

 _‘Why is the Chief crying?’_ Grant wondered and he can’t help but to get more interested. His gut tells him that something is not right with the situation.

Then Grant’s eyes fall onto the man lying flat on a surgery table.

And Grant’s world began to crumble down to pieces.

Grant quickly ran inside the room, though he knows he’s not even allowed. He even hit someone’s shoulder but he just doesn’t care anymore.

Erik is lying flat naked on the table, his head and body plugged in with wires in various colors. There are also monitors running all around him but there’s only one monitor that caught Grant’s attention.

The cardiac monitor registers that Erik’s heart rate is zero.

And the sound this monitor gives is deafening. It is continuous and it shattered Grant’s world.

Erik is dead.

Grant moved and he passed the Chief who’s still crying on the floor. He lurched forward then he grabbed both Erik’s shoulder and he started to shake him… trying to wake him up.

“ERIK! GOD DAMN IT ERIK YOU WAKE UP!” Grant called but Erik is not responding. Erik’s skin is cold to touch. Grant’s eyes screwed up with fear. He knows what it means, but he refused to believe it.

“ARREST THAT MAN!” Grant heard the Director and he looked back at her. The Director’s face is cold and Grant felt his blood boiled.

Something inside him tells to put the blame of Erik’s demise towards the Director and the Chief. It’s both their fault that his Erik is now dead. He can’t believe that they use Erik as a part of their experiment. And now, Erik is gone.

“YOU!” Grant shouted back, his finger pointing at the Director. He run towards the Director and when Grant reached her, he let his right hand slapped her. “YOU BITCH! YOU KILLED ERIK! I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU WITCH!” Grant roared in anger and the Director’s face turned sour.

“HOW DARE YOU?!!” The Director shrieked and before Grant knew it, he was being pushed down on the floor; both his hands are now behind his back, restraining him. He just realized that he was being pinned on the floor and there’s a ray gun pointing straight at his head.

“Shall we kill him, Ma’am?” The Drac who’s holding the ray gun politely asked.

“No,” the Director said, her face still contorted in a very ugly manner. Bring him at the reprogammming chamber. He needs to pay for what he had done.”

“Yes Ma’am,” the Drac answered before lowering his head. The two Drac lifted Grant, holding his both arms tightly while the last Drac settled behind him, his ray gun still pointed at Grant’s head. But it is not over for Grant. He spit at the Director, landing near at his jet-black shoes. The Drac behind him push his ray gun on Grant’s back harshly and it made Grant groaned in pain.

After Grant was escorted out of the Experiment Station, the Director walked towards the Chief who is still on the floor. The Director doesn’t even know whether the Chief was aware of the commotion that just happened few seconds ago.

“Chief,” the Director called coldly.

“I.. I k-killed…. I k-killed Erik…” The Chief sobbed. His breathing is ragged, and he is still hiding his face on his arms.

“Yes you killed your partner, Chief,” the Director replied firmly. “You’re the reason why one of our bright scientists is now dead.”

The Chief lifted his face up, his eyes red and his lips began to tremble. As he looked at the Director’s eyes, he didn’t see any sign of remorse at all. And she’s blaming Erik’s death all in him, even though it was the Director’s idea in the first place.

“We’re putting this project on hold for now, Chief,” the Director announced. She’s now standing beside the surgery table, her finger caressing Erik’s face. “And I’m placing you on leave effective immediately. Your face right now makes me sick. And I assume all the data you collected in this experiment are carefully documented, right? I’ll have my scientists review this project and make any possible recommendations, if there’s a chance for this project to continue or whatever.”

The Chief stood up and he slowly walks out of the room that only brought him extreme distress and sadness. He doesn’t even want to talk to the Director anymore. He needs to go out immediately, maybe even away from this evil place.

“And Chief,” the Director called but the Chief didn’t stopped walking. “I just want to let you know that you disappoint me.”

And that was it. He knows his career at Better Living Industries is over.

-

The Chief never return back to Better Living Industries.

He doesn’t have any reason to go back there anymore. Not only that his career is over, but it also destroyed his family and his friend died in his own hands.

Unbeknownst to the Chief’s knowledge, his wife joined the Helium Wars and she was dusted by Draculoids. Her body was found at Zone 1 together with the bodies of her fellow rebels.

And the news that his wife was dead brought him great horror. He’s the one who created the Draculoid masks. And now, his wife was killed by Draculoids.

The Chief blamed himself even more. Although indirect, he knows he was the one who killed his wife.

-

For years, the Chief gave everything he got for Better Living Industries. BL/ind used the Chief’s thirst for knowledge and his undying love for science for their personal gain. But when he had nothing to offer anymore – when he failed making the Code work, they throw him away like he’s garbage.

He’s the reason he lost his wife. And now, all he got is his two-year old daughter, Grace.

And the only way he can make things right is if he destroyed the Code that he created. He knows that the Director will still push through on the project, despite the fact that he’s no longer part of it. One way or another, he knows the Director will still find ways to make the Code work.

He curses that project – that project only brought him pain and suffering. And because of that project, his partner died in his own hands.

He doesn’t have the blueprints or the documentation, but he knows all the important mechanisms about that project and how it works. And so, he created another Code that will overwrite the Code of the Project Zero.

Then the Chief placed the secret code behind Grace’s neck. The machine he placed inside her shares the similar size to the Code in Project Zero. But there’s no need for him to connect it to any major nerves and he made sure that it won’t hurt his daughter.

The Chief knows that they need to hide from BL/ind immediately. And the only person he can run is to his old friend, Steve.

-

But the Director has her own wicked ways to know who’s with her and those who don’t. And the Chief is not even aware that he’s bugged and his whole house is littered with inconspicuous cameras that monitor all his movements.

She knows about the Chief’s plan and the Code that he hid inside her daughter.

-

“Korse?” the Director called coldly across her room.

“Yes Ma’am?” the man named Korse immediately replied back. Korse is standing still near the door, both his hands hidden inside the pockets of his coat.

“I need you to kill the Chief,” said the Director and Korse gave a small nod. “He’s now Zonerunning at Zone 1. He’s running with his two-year old daughter. I need you to kill the Chief and bring the child back to me. Understand?”

“Yes Ma’am,” Korse politely replied before marching outside the Director’s room.

The Director can’t help but to smile. She knows that she made the best decision when he reprogrammed Grant and made him an Exterminator. She still can’t forget that moment when he slapped her and called her a bitch. That’s why she thinks the best way to make Grant pay for his insubordination is to make him do all Better Living Industries’ dirty works.

At that moment, the Director felt that the world is soon falling down in her hands. Her dream of a perfect world will soon come. She only needs to make Project Zero works.

And inside his evil brain, the Director is also thinking about a new project that will prune humanity… a project where only perfect human beings will live inside a perfect community. And those who live outside the walls will be killed…

She’ll name that evil thought later as the Inner City Project.

-

The Chief found himself standing at an old house in Zone 1. And he’s very sure that he’s in the right place. He then knocked on the door in a manner that is more enough to earn him a punch in his face. His time is running out.

A man wearing a white shirt with NOISE written on it opened the door.

“Who the fuck ― CHIEF?” the man who opened the door squeaked, his eyes grew in size.

“Hi Ricky,” Chief greeted, his voice is shaking. He’s holding Grace tightly in his arms. “Is Steve here?”

“Yes, Steve is here,” Ricky answered back. “Why? Come inside please.”

“NO!” the Chief cried urgently. “Please please, I don’t have the time.”

“Who’s that, Ricky?” another voice suddenly speaks. The Chief craned his neck where the voice came from and his eyes fall down on a man sitting on a wheelchair.

“Steve? What happened to you?” the Chief asked.

“Chief?” Steve calls back. Ricky moved away from the door and went behind Steve’s wheelchair. He slowly pushed Steve until he’s now standing near the Chief. “The war took my legs,” Steve added miserably. “So what brings you here?”

“I have a big request I need to ask from you, Steve,” the Chief said, his voice shaking in fear. Both Steve and Ricky exchanged worried glances. “BL is after me right now and I need to leave my daughter in your hands. I don’t have anyone I can ask for help right now… And I’m desperate to save my only daughter. And… and you’re the only one I trust, Steve. Please keep Grace safe and away from BL’s harm.”

“But why?” Steve immediately asked.

“Please Steve, I don’t have time to explain,” the Chief pleaded and he’s almost on the verge of tearing up. “They’re after me. I fucked up so bad that it destroyed my family and my life. And all I have is Grace. She doesn’t deserve all of this. I need you to keep her safe.”

“All right, all right,” Steve said, still finding it hard to understand what in the world is happening. “I promise I’ll keep Grace safe.”

“Oh thank you so much, Steve!” the Chief exclaimed. Ricky moved from his position and then the Chief gave Grace to him who’s still sleeping. “I need to go now,” the Chief added and his eyes lingered on his daughter. Steve could see in his eyes how broken he is. But he could also see the determination behind his eyes and there’s nothing he could do or say will make him stop.

“Chief,” Steve called and the Chief looked at him. “Just please keep yourself safe.”

“I will, Steve. I will.” The Chief placed a kiss on the top of Grace’s head. He breathed deeply before he left Steve’s home.

And the Chief didn’t even look back… because if he did, it might be even harder for him to leave Grace.

He ran away, alone in the Zones. And he found it hard to keep his face dry.

He just cried until there’s nothing left.

-

It only took Korse a day to find Chief at Zone 1. And following the Director’s order, Korse dusted him immediately.

 

* * *

 

Korse is sitting at the passenger seat of the Trans Am while Party Poison drives it smoothly along the sandy road tracks at Zone 1. And if Korse’s guess is right, it will take him another hour to reach Battery City.

“What are you planning, Sir?” Korse suddenly asked.

“Korse, I know you’re already aware so can you just stop with all your stupid questions. Isn’t this what you planned all along?” Party replied coldly. “You want me dead, right?”

Korse swallowed hard and his nerves start to build up again. He tried to say any word, but failed to do so.

Party then looked straight at Korse. “We’ll go back to Battery City and extract that code from Grace. And we’ll use it to overwrite my code, killing me in the process.”

“Are… are you sure about that, Sir?” Korse croaked nervously.

“Fun Ghoul once said that when a person is free, they can dream, they can love, and they can strive to become a better person,” Party Poison said, his eyes now currently glued on the road. “So yes, I’m sure about that, Korse.”

Korse looked at Party Poison. He can’t believe that this is actually happening.

“I guess it’s about time to set me free,” the man behind the wheels added. “I will set Party Poison free from the monster that they made him.”


	14. Chapter 14

_Four Years Ago._

“Very good, Korse. I’m impressed!” The Director tells exuberantly to the man who’s standing just a few meters away from her. Korse could see it very clear that the Director couldn’t hide her joy away – because every inch of her existence literally screams for euphoria. She’s almost delirious to her recent achievement.

The Director started to walk towards Korse, her shoes made noises with every step. The sound it made is sickening in a very weird way and it only makes Korse feels tense for reason he doesn’t exactly know what. When she’s already standing in front of him, Korse noticed that it is much more evident that her face is overflowing with happiness. The Director then extended her right arm, her cold hand now patting Korse’s cheeks before caressing it with his index finger. Korse shivered upon touch, but he learned for many years of serving as an Exterminator that this gesture means that what he done please her so much.

Because fucking _finally_ , Korse had successfully exterminated the Fabulous Killjoys. And their bodies lie just a few meters away from them. But aside from the dead bodies of the Fabulous Killjoys, bodies of their puppets – _Dracs_ are also everywhere and Korse can’t helped but to feel furious but strangely impressed because the Killjoys were able to wreak damages despite the fact that they were outnumbered.

_“Ma’am, this one is still breathing.”_

_“W-what?!!”_ Korse immediately snap, livid. The Drac is kneelling beside the Killjoy whose name is Fun Ghoul, Party Poison’s lover.

“Same here, Ma’am,” said the Drac softly who’s standing beside Kobra Kid.

Korse immediately felt cold. Korse head moves from one Killjoy to another, his heart racing fast. There’s no way that they are still alive. Korse saw them shot and killed by the Dracs.

Korse would like to protest, even force himself to believe that the Dracs are lying. Korse knows he can’t afford to fuck this mission up, especially not now when the Director is just standing right in front of him, smirking like the world revolves around. _‘And why is she smirking?’_ Korse thought. The reaction she is showing somewhat surprises the Exterminator.

Korse’s fingers slowly move towards his laser gun holster, but the way the Director looks at him stupefies him, making his unable to move a single muscle. Korse had this urge to pull his laser gun and shoot the Fabulous Killjoys again, probably straight in their heads just like what he did to Party Poison. 

“I know what you’re thinking, Korse,” the Director purred darkly, her tongue running on her teeth and lips.

 _“Ma’am?”_ Drops of sweats slowly dripping from Korse’s forehead; he’s lost and stunned. He really doesn’t know what the fuck is happening and what the meaning behind her words is. All Korse knows is that the Fabulous Killjoys should be dead by now, but it is not the case anymore.

Korse knows he fucked up. He fucked up _real_ bad. His one and only job is to eliminate the Fabulous Killjoys and he’s unable to do that.

“Ma’am, every one of them is still breathing,” one of the Drac announced.

“WHAT? T-that’s impossible!” Korse quickly protested, his eyes growing in size. _“Even Party Poison?!!”_

The Drac made an affirmative gesture and Korse felt his heart drop to his stomach. If only the grounds will open right at that moment, Korse will be willing to be swallowed down without even thinking twice. He was the one who shot Party Poison, the leader of the Fabulous Killjoys and he can’t believe that he didn’t kill him. _Party Poison_ – that red-haired brat who’s able to carved his own name and become the most wanted rebel. And together with his gang, they were able to catch the Director’s attention.

“All your guns were calibrated without everyone’s knowledge,” the Director suddenly admitted, who’s now walking around. Then she stopped beside’s Party’s body who’s still slumped against the wall. “All of them were calibrated so the laser beam will not be lethal, but still powerful enough to do some _damage_.”

 _‘Bitch!’_ Korse immediately thought and hate slowly becoming the most dominant feeling inside him. He then watches the Director as she slowly kneeled beside Party Poison, her hand resting on Party’s dusty cheeks, thumb now brushing it softly.

“I hate you, Killjoy,” the Director addressed directly to the red-haired Killjoy while still caressing his soiled cheeks. “I want every single one of you dead and throw your bodies in the Zones… I want every Zone Rats saw your bodies as it slowly decays. Show them what will happen to anyone who opposes me. But I have bigger plans for all you and I don’t want to waste your talents. So I’ll deprogrammed each one of you and made you all part of my Inner City project. I want to show the world that there’s no one we cannot use for our own gain, and we’re going to start with you, Killjoy.”

Then the Director slapped Party Poison’s cheeks hard before she stood up. Party’s body moved sideways, strands of his red hair now covered most of his face. “Someone call the Medical Team. Tell them to bring the bodies in Sector 13. ” The Director ordered and the Dracs marched away, going towards the end of the room and punched numbers on BL/ind’s communication device which is installed in the wall.

“As for you Korse,” the Director looked at him sharply. “Let everyone surrender their laser guns for recalibration.”  

“Y-yes ma’am,” Korse replied even without thinking. Korse then watches as the Director walks away from the scene.

It took the Medical Team only minutes to arrive. And Korse let himself witnessed as Party Poison body is being zipped inside BL/ind’s body bag.

-

It was a very long night.

Korse let out a disappointed sigh, but his thought is still racing with all sorts of emotions and flashes of events that unfold earlier.

It was clear for Korse that the Director didn’t want the Killjoys dead. And he knows that she will just treat them just like everyone else. The Exterminator knows that the Director uses people for her experiments and for her personal gain.

Korse can’t help but wonder if the Director is just using him too. He then wondered when the time he started working as an Exterminator was. In fact, he can’t remember where he even came from, or what real name is, or what was his life was before he became an Exterminator.

Korse suddenly felt a pounding pain in his head. Gripping his head like it can help him ease the pain, he reached for his BL/ind provided pills from his bedside table. Hesitating, Korse popped one inside his mouth. And it’s the same pill he’s taking as long as he can remember.

Aside from the exact time when he started working at Better Living Industries, he can’t also remember the time he started taking that medicine. He’s just told by the doctors to take one every single day and it will take away all his pain away. And taking that pill has become part of his everyday life, as if his life depended on it.

But Korse didn’t take one yesterday, and also the other day. That’s why he’s having the worst migraine of his life today. And it’s getting even worse as every minute passed.

Although the pill is relatively small, Korse still felt how it dramatically scratches his throat. Korse then settled down in his bed, trying his very best to calm his senses and just hope for the pain to go away.

Korse just wanted to rest, maybe sleep for an hour or two. But his headache forces him to stay wide awake and make him remember the fact that the Killjoys are still alive. He also can’t forget the Director’s face when she told them that the laser guns are calibrated so it will not kill them.

Korse couldn’t protest. He just needs to trust and believe that the Director knows what exactly she’s doing. But Korse can’t help but feel humiliated, even deceived by her. Why didn’t she tell him about her plan? And what the fuck is Inner City project that she mentioned? Korse then realized that the Director is slowly getting on his nerves. Korse used to adore her, _fuck_ , he even worships her. But recently, Korse notices that she’s making decisions and orders that don’t make sense anymore.

Slowly, Korse feels hatred towards her. And he doesn’t know exactly the reasons why. Not informing him about the calibration or her crazy projects are not enough reasons to hate her. There’s something inside Korse that tells him that there’s more to her crazy antics or secretive plans. Korse couldn’t think of anything that the Director had done to make him distrust her, or hate her.

Korse’s migraine is much getting worse. He should stop thinking because it will only make his head hurt even more.

Korse closed his eyes and tries his best to fall asleep, hoping for the pain to go away.

-

Two weeks had passed before Korse was summoned by the Director and asked him to go at Sector 13. In fact, he had never see the Director in the past few days but Korse doesn’t even care at all.

 _Sector 13_. It’s the only restricted building located at the very far end of Better Living Industries headquarters. Korse is aware that it was shut down before and was previously named as _Experiment Station_. Apparently, it was re-opened a couple of years ago and a team of unnamed medical and engineering professionals are currently working on some undisclosed projects inside.

Korse knows he’s never been near Sector 13. But every step he made towards this supposed-to-be restricted building, he can’t helped but feels that’s he’s been there before. The area was vaguely familiar but he doesn’t have a single clue why. And he wonders why the Director asked him to go meet her there?

The Exterminator then saw a huge metal door stood mightily at the very end and there’s five security cameras all pointing straight at the door. Korse guesses what’s inside Sector 13 must be highly important and valuable for it to have multiple cameras all just directed directly at Sector 13’s metal door. But he finds it odd though that if this is a restricted part of the Better Living Industries, why then there are no Dracs guarding the door? Korse doesn’t understand the logic between the lack of guards and the presence of multiple security cameras in Sector 13.

Korse softly pressed the button he found at the right corner of the door and it only took a few seconds before it swung open. No one greeted him and the Exterminator assumes he can just go inside and so he let himself in.

Right after Korse stepped inside the building, he felt his eyes widened as his gaze starts to go from one point to another. The building itself is just a huge, stark white, and the ceiling is almost three-floors high. Bright lights flooded the room and the metallic walls are lined up with various computer monitors and large screens. Korse watches in amazement the different data and video feeds that are currently shown in the screen, although the Exterminator doesn’t have a single clue what’s going on. When Korse finally tore his gaze away from the screen, his eyes then fall on the floor area which is littered with bulky machines and monitors. Plugs and wires in all shapes and sizes are almost everywhere and Korse felt he should just stand where he is right now in fear that he might stepped on some wires which might possibly mess with what the scientists are working on.

Looking around for any sign of the Director, he noticed that almost every scientist appears to be busy and they didn’t even recognize the Exterminator’s presence inside the room. Korse feels a little bit creeped out, like he just stepped inside an unknown world and he knows he doesn’t belong.

“Follow me, Korse.” The Exterminator snapped to his left and saw the Director standing beside a Japanese man wearing thick safety goggles and a laboratory gown.

Korse gave a short, courtesy nod before he followed them, carefully not stepping on the sea of colorful wires at the floor. The Director, together with the scientist started marching at the other end of the room and they are not even making any conversation. When Korse finally caught up with them at the other end, his eyes immediately fall on the man he knows very well. In fact, he’s supposed to be dead, but his raygun was calibrated without his knowledge and thus the fact that he’s still alive.

But Korse wonders why does Party Poison’s body is lying flat inside the huge cylindrical glass chamber, with almost every inch of his body connected to wires? There’s a breathing tube inserted inside Party’s mouth and his eyes are carefully bandaged around. And the Killjoy’s hair is now cut very short and with no traces of his previous bright red hair color.

“Maybe nine, perhaps it was ten years ago when I asked the top scientist of Better Living Industries to create a code that will bind every Draculoids and make them follow only one leader,” the Director suddenly started, her eyes glued longingly at Party Poison. The emotion that the Director is showing is so foreign for Korse that he can’t help but feel puzzled. The Director continued, “And this said scientist was the one responsible in inventing the Draculoid masks. He’s successful in creating the mechanism in binding the souls through the mask. But mere soul-binding is not enough to make them follow me.”

“It is not enough… It will never be enough,” the Director said sharply, clicking her tongue at the roof of her mouth. “You see, they need to have fear… fear of authority, or someone higher than them. And I’m aware that there’s a possibility that their souls will be released once the mechanism fails and I don’t want that to happen. And so, I asked him for that code and create someone whom the Draculoids will follow. But he failed, unfortunately.”

The Director’s hand now pressed flat against the glass touches. “And I have to shut that project. In the end, he betrayed me. And it took us years to review all his documentation and where the hell he got this project wrong. It turns out that we just need to find the right candidate… the _perfect candidate_ where we can plant that code inside the brain and make it work. But finding that right candidate is hard. We almost thought that person didn’t even exist. But now, I’m looking straight at him…”

Korse gasped, looking at Party Poison. “That _Killjoy_?”

“Yes. Party Poison was brain dead due to the shot he received from you, Korse. It turns out that in order for the code to work, the candidate must lose his character first in order for the code to completely take over his thoughts. I don’t have a single clue to what happened to Party Poison seconds or minutes before you shot him, but somehow it made him hesitate or question what he believes in. Maybe our Killjoy here realized he is not really a hero when you’re about to shot him. And that provided an enough window for the code to finally work.”

“I don’t understand, Ma’am…”

“The code is like a soul,” said the Director simply. “The old soul of Party Poison is now gone. Gone was his old brave soul who’s willing to fight our corporation. And now we replaced it by a new soul… the soul that we created which is capable of influencing Dracs. And they will both fear and follow him...”

Korse is lost for words. He can’t believe that such project exists, a project much worse compared to controlling people using masks. The Director continues to press her had against the glass, her eyes glued on Party Poison. The Exterminator’s eyes are on Party too, and for a split second, he thought Party’s body was replaced by another man with brown hair.

Korse rubbed his eyes hard. It was hard enough for him to feel some sting and it ruined his eyesight for a few seconds. It was strange because something tells him he knows who that person was. But when he looked at the man inside the chamber, it was Party Poison.

Korse thought maybe he’s just tired, although it’s only midday.

“So I want you Korse to monitor the progress of this project,” said the Director, now looking at the Exterminator with tired eyes. “I want you to guard him and if there are any problems that arise, you should immediately report them back to me as soon as possible. And once he wakes up, I want you to be his keeper. You’ll guide him and teach him things he need to know and learn. But you’re about to treat him as _my equal_ , so you need to respect him. I know he used to be a Killjoy, a Zone Rat… he’s our enemy before. But that one is gone, replaced by a new soul who’ll help us win this war. Do you understand?”

Korse nodded despite the fact that he doesn’t understand what the fuck is running inside the brain of their Director.

 

* * *

 

“Welcome back, Sir,” greeted the two Draculoids who are guarding the back door at the BL/ind headquarters. Both of them lowered their heads in fear that the person with bright red hair will shoot them. Party could clearly see how the poor Drac’s knees are trembling in fear and he just felt his mouth smirked. Party knows that he is evil – someone who doesn’t feel any remorse nor compassion. And this limitation is what makes him want to be free, to finally erase the only emotion he have. Because maybe, if he set Party Poison free, maybe even if he’s only a code, he might have the chance to feel other emotion even if it will be only for a few moments.

Party knows he will never feel love at all if he continues to exists, a dominant feeling that the previous Party Poison has. And knowing all of Party Poison’s memories, _reading it like a book_ , made him aware of his feelings for Fun Ghoul and his care and compassion for Jet Star and his brother Kobra Kid. And he’s interested in learning more. That’s the very reason why he wants to see the Killjoys. Being manipulative and creative, he’s able to trick them into believing he’s the old Party Poison.

But he didn’t regret deceiving them. Not at all. He learns a lot just by talking to Fun Ghoul. He can’t help but to get more interested the way Fun Ghoul looks back at him. And the kisses that Fun Ghoul stole from him feel odd and strange, but it is not foreign since he knows Party’s memories very well. If there’s only one thing that Party would like to change though is for him to feel the emotion called _love_ on those moments when he’s with Fun Ghoul, although the time that he’s with him is very limited.

Party stopped and looked at the Drac, his head still lowered and he refuses to look at their leader. “I want everyone to go the barracks,” said Party coldly. Korse is standing behind him, in his arms he holds Grace who passed out. “Stay inside unless you receive a new instruction from me. I repeat – I want every single Drac inside this building go to the barracks now.”

“Yes S-sir.” The Drac nodded before he started punching some buttons in the communication device installed in the wall. Party started marching away while Korse follows him, maintaining a safe distance away from him when the other Drac stopped them.

“S-sir…” the Drac called, his voice shaking. “We received r-reports that the Fabulous K-killjoys are on their way.”

“Really?” Party Poison looked back, raising an eyebrow. “I guess they will try to get Grace back. So do you have any information what time they might arrive?”

 “S-sir, maybe three, or four hours. They were spotted near the borders of Zones Two and Three an hour ago. “Shall we deploy additional reinforcements to guard the front gates?” The Drac asked nervously, while the other Drac stopped delivering message thru the communication device.

“What is my earlier instruction?” Party asked and the way he looked at the Dracs is enough to kill them both.

“Every D-drac should stay at the b-barracks…”

“ _Exactly.”_ Party titled his head, smirking. “I’ll be the one to handle our _intruders_. No need for your support since every single one of you appears to be incompetent… so _incompetent_ that you almost blow my cover…” Party remembers the scene back in Zone 1 where the Dracs suddenly attacked them.

Both the Dracs nodded their heads, refusing to look at their leader. The Drac resumed on sending a message while the one stay glued on his feet, his head lowered down.

Party walked away from the Dracs, leaving them both trembling in fear. Korse followed closely.

It took them a few minutes before they reached Sector 13. It was shut down right after the success of Project Zero. But Party himself still have access inside the building, because besides being Zero, he’s also the Strategist and he’s treated as the Director’s equal.

Korse, being Party’s keeper, sometimes had the opportunity to be permitted inside Sector 13. The machines are all shut down, but the whole area is still filled with various folders and documentations about BL/ind’s projects. In fact, there’s a corner lined with file cabinets and drawers where Party once wasted weeks learning who the Chief Scientist that created the code is. He also camped out inside in determining where they could find Grace since the Dracs couldn’t locate Dr. Death Defying’s coordinates.

Party went on and activated Sector’s 13 main computer which is located in the middle of the room. Korse watches as he started pressing buttons and typing random characters on the keyboard. After a few moments, the machine in his right starts buzzing, signaling that it’s now activated.

“Korse,” Party called. “Bring Grace here,” his right hand pointing at the empty surgery table beside him.

The Exterminator carefully placed Grace down, her chest pressed against the table. On the other hand, Party starts pulling some plugs from the machine he just activated, and pressing some red keys in the monitor. When it appears that Party had the machine running, he kneeled down and reached for a small metallic box under the surgery table. He then picked a scalpel from the box.

“ _Fuck_ , I really don’t know if I would get this right, but…” Party suddenly said, his fingers brushing the back of Grace’s neck. He then made a very small incision. Grace didn’t wince in pain, or move at all.

Party breathed out when he finally saw a metal block embedded in the skin behind Grace’s neck. Party is aware that he also possesses the same metal block behind his neck.

Metal blocks, or more commonly called as _brain ports_ are created by Better Living Industries to directly alter a person’s brain waves. Most prisoners have brain ports, but it is usually used to inflict mental pains or give them illusions or hallucinations. Better Living Industries are able to inflict pain by using a special gun that they created. This gun works by simply pressing the muzzle at the back of their neck before pulling the trigger. The gun works by producing wavelengths and electricity that will first pass in the brain ports before directly affecting the victim’s brain.

But in both Party Poison’s and Grace’s case, the brain ports installed in them are directed connected to a small machine in their brains. Grace holds the code that will overwrite the code installed in Party’s brain. Party will have to extract the code inside Grace’s first before he can use it to overwrite his.

Party pulled two plugs from the machine and plugged it in Grace’s brain port. Korse then watches as the machines slowly registers information in the monitor.

Party looked at Korse. “Extraction will take perhaps, four to five hours,” he suddenly said, glancing at the monitor before he returned his gaze at him. “But Grace will remain asleep throughout the process.”

“So Korse, I know you don’t trust me… perhaps you even hate me but only you can finish the job,” said Party softly, and Korse could swore the way Party looks at him is very similar to the old Party Poison, the leader of the Fabulous Killjoys. Party continued, “So I’m putting my entire trust in you because once Grace’s code overwrites mine, everyone whose soul was bounded by the Draculoid masks will be set free, thus destroying Better Living Industries and finally ending this war.”

“I didn’t know that destroying your code will set everyone free, Sir.” Korse commented.

“My code is like a double-edge sword,” Party informs Korse intelligently. “I can control the Dracs, but the destruction of my code will also mean setting them free. That is how the mechanism of my code works. It’s one pretty scary device knowing the machine implanted in this brain is so small...”

Party then cleared his throat. “So I want you to follow everything I will tell you, Korse. After we extracted Grace’s code, you will have to plug the same wires inside my brain ports and press the red button from this machine. I will prepare the machine and all you need to do is press the button, all right? Once the machine starts overwriting my code, please leave this room together with Grace… And give her back to the Fabulous Killjoys, Korse… make sure that she’s safe…”

“S-sir… You’re g-going to die in the process, right?”

Party nodded slightly. “Yes. That’s the only way we can end this war. The leader of the Fabulous Killjoys is dead to begin with, and the Director just used his body in order to bring my code to life. But in the years that I control this body, I learned that Party is not actually dead. His brain is dead but his heart continues to fight this corporation. And I didn’t expect that slowly, he was able to influence me. So now, all I want is to be free.”

“I r-really don’t k-know what to say, S-sir…” Korse confessed, his heart beating fast against his chest. He’s so close in finally bringing Erik justice that he deserves.

“That’s all right, Korse…” Party said, shrugging. “But the war is not yet over. Before we can finally put an end to this corporation, I still need to do one more thing.”

Korse raised an eyebrow, looking skeptic. “And what is t-that, S-sir?”

“I need to kill _her_ first.” Party said with absolute resolve.

-

It was estimated that the Fabulous Killjoys will arrived at Battery City by midnight. And Fun Ghoul finds it very hard to stay calm. They borrowed a different car from Show Pony, leaving the uncomfortable two-seater truck back in Dr. Death’s place. Jet Star drives the car; speeding in highways where there are no longer any traffic laws that exists. Fun Ghoul feels perfectly fine with the way Star drives because the faster they get to Battery City, the better.

They arrived at the front gates of Better Living Industries before midnight. And it was Fun Ghoul who first jump out of the car. And once his eyes fall on the building, he suddenly feels cold.

Jet Star and Kobra Kid joined him and they started marching towards the main glass door. And Fun Ghoul can’t help but to feel strange because the area seems to be deserted.

“Why are there no Dracs around?” Fun Ghoul suddenly commented, craning his neck in random direction, his right hand gripping his ray gun.

“I don’t know, Ghoul,” Jet Star replied, pushing the glass door which was unlocked. “It’s creepy as fuck, but I can’t help but feel something weird is going on because this is just fucking unusual.”

“You’re right, Star. This is very unusual,” Kobra Kid repeated, his voice slightly cracking. “I suggests we use this opportunity as an advantage on our part. We need to find Grace and my brother as soon as possible…”

“All right,” Jet Star nodded, patting Kobra’s shoulder. “That’s the plan, then.”

As the Fabulous Killjoys marched inside the enemy’s headquarters, Fun Ghoul feels creeped out by the whole situation. The building seems deserted too, but the lights are all on and are fucking bright. He never thought he’ll be back to the place that changed their lives. Fun Ghoul could still remember it like it was yesterday – when hordes of Draculoids attacked them and shot them. They know they are outnumbered, but they had to save Grace that time. And now, they’re doing the exact same thing, but the absence of Dracs makes him highly suspicious.

The Fabulous Killjoys don’t know how many minutes had passed just walking around the building, looking for signs of Grace and Party Poison. They are now walking on the third floor, checking the rooms when Fun Ghoul saw a man he knows very well, walking at the other side of the floor.

“PARTY!!!” Fun Ghoul quickly shouted before he starts running towards him.

Party Poison looked back when he heard someone called his name. He then saw that it was Fun Ghoul, together with Jet Star and Kobra Kid. Party didn’t expected that they’ll arrive much earlier. And he also didn’t know why in the world he smiled back at Fun Ghoul. All Party knows is maybe he didn’t expect to see his face again… that he’ll about to wipe away his existence in this planet without looking at the guy whom the previous Party Poison love so much.

When Fun Ghoul saw Party Poison smiled, he felt his heart immediately beat fast because he recognized it was the same smile that his lover gives him. Kobra Kid and Jet Star also saw it too and they couldn’t find the right words to say about that gesture.

Fun Ghoul can’t help but to curse the floor area of this building because it is too large. Then he saw as Party Poison turns his back and started running away from them.

 _“Party! Don’t go!”_ Fun Ghoul pleaded.

But Party Poison has a mission and he just cannot let the Fabulous Killjoys stop him. And so, he runs away from him, taking the secret route going to the topmost floor of the headquarters where the office of the Director is located.

When Fun Ghoul reached the place where Party was standing before, the man with a bright red hair is nowhere to be found.

 

***End of Second Part/The Rise of Zero***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll join the Fabulous Killjoys one last time in the next part of the Danger Days series and witness what kind of fate is in store for the three of them. Or four? Can we still consider Party Poison a Killjoy now that we know he's not really the old Party? More revelations and maybe actions in the last part. 
> 
> Then I also would like to take this chance to thank everyone who followed this story and subscribed! I know there's a bunch of ridiculous, random stuff going on in my head, but seriously, thank you for reading. It really means a lot to me. And special thanks to Alexandra_Winchester for following and commenting in every chapter! And of course, to everyone who finds this story entertaining, those who also left awesome comments and kudos, A HUGE THANK YOU! You know who you are! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!


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